Roddy Piper v Bret Hart (WWF Wrestlemania VIII, 4/5/92) - EPIC
Ten years ago I'd probably have called this Piper's best match ever. Since then I've rewatched the Valentine feud and that stuff's definitely a rung up, but this is still really good and if nothing else it's one of his best performances. I know he'll never blow you away with his technique and Piper throwing a hip toss isn't the most crisp thing you'll see, but I love how he does everything like a wildman and even those hip tosses have an element of frenzy. I've always loved the story of him reverting back to some of his saltier ways as the match goes on. I actually watched this and Bret/Perfect from King of the Ring '93 back to back earlier, and I thought Hennig was a little more overt in his heeling than Piper was in this, which I wouldn't have said based on memory alone. I know there's the ring bell spot and this had the blood, but Hennig was way surlier and I'd have expected him to actually hit Bret with the bell given the opportunity ("Remember the old saying: what the hell, use the bell!"). It may be hokey WWF-style melodrama, but I thought that ring bell stuff came off great and puts most spots of its ilk these days to shame. Maybe it was because the commentary wasn't trying to ram it down our throats, maybe it's because Piper's a decent actor; either way it totally worked for me. Although I'm a shameless geek for a good bit of inner conflict so take that for what it's worth. I also forgot the set up to Bret getting cut open, but it totally ruled. You're thinking Piper holding the ropes to let Bret back in is always ending up with Bret getting suckered, but Piper actually lets him in clean. Maybe we're underestimating Piper's strength of character. To be fair to him, Bret's been trying to get under his skin all day and that bit earlier where he faked the shoulder injury only to roll him up was a bit of a dick move in its own right. It's no wonder Piper slapped him. But hey, it's all good now and we'll no doubt see a clean contest from here on out. Piper telling Bret his lace is undone and popping him with an uppercut was amazing and he never looked back from there. Bret was a perfect foil for him, but Piper listening to the devil on one shoulder while the angel on the other tried to rein him in was a super fun story. The part where he unloads with a flurry of jabs to the eye was where you had to stop and go, "yep, that's the Roddy Piper we always knew was in there." Or maybe it's the part where he was biting Bret in the cut and I guess I'll retract that horse shit about him not being surly. Finish is fairly iconic in WWF lore and there's one guy in the crowd with a Hot Rod t-shirt who's just distraught when a) Piper decides against bludgeoning Bret with the bell, and b) when Bret reverses the sleeper. Piper's become a huge favourite of mine in recent years and this held up really well. Long live Hot Rod.
Complete & Accurate Hot Rod
Monday, 4 February 2019
Sunday, 3 February 2019
Jarrett v Michaels! Work Memphis! Sorta!
Jeff Jarrett v Shawn Michaels (WWF In Your House 2: Lumberjacks, 7/23/95)
You know, for a guy who has a rep of not being all that good, Jarrett has a nice resume of fun stuff. Still think this is his best match and probably his best performance. It wasn't a carry job by any stretch, but it's total Memphis for most of it and I'd guess it was him who laid the thing out. Sure looked like he was having a blast the whole time. All the early horse shit rules, Jarrett's fun stalling, great one-upmanship shtick, Michaels leading the crowd along with Hebner's ten count, and even if Michaels' punches will never make the Nashville crowd forget a Lawler or Dundee punch, his short jabs are much better than his old man chops. Shawn's bump over the post is a doozy and works as a quality transition. I thought Jarrett's control segment dragged just a bit at points and his abdominal stretch was pretty muck, but they're minor quibbles. Finishing run lasts longer than I remembered but it was also good stuff. The double clothesline leading to the nine count before Michaels does the kip up is effective in that it plausibly allows him some extra time to recover. I don't mind the kip up in general but I know it's an irritation to lots of folk. Plus this was the smooooothest kip up ever because he does it straight after the flying forearm and just kips right up without his feet touching the mat first and McMahon blew his knickers off I bet. Roadie was also a fun annoying shit all the way through this and the finish was a fun payoff to that. Mega fun match. WWF was not great in 1995 but this feels pretty easily like a top 10 match in the US that year.
You know, for a guy who has a rep of not being all that good, Jarrett has a nice resume of fun stuff. Still think this is his best match and probably his best performance. It wasn't a carry job by any stretch, but it's total Memphis for most of it and I'd guess it was him who laid the thing out. Sure looked like he was having a blast the whole time. All the early horse shit rules, Jarrett's fun stalling, great one-upmanship shtick, Michaels leading the crowd along with Hebner's ten count, and even if Michaels' punches will never make the Nashville crowd forget a Lawler or Dundee punch, his short jabs are much better than his old man chops. Shawn's bump over the post is a doozy and works as a quality transition. I thought Jarrett's control segment dragged just a bit at points and his abdominal stretch was pretty muck, but they're minor quibbles. Finishing run lasts longer than I remembered but it was also good stuff. The double clothesline leading to the nine count before Michaels does the kip up is effective in that it plausibly allows him some extra time to recover. I don't mind the kip up in general but I know it's an irritation to lots of folk. Plus this was the smooooothest kip up ever because he does it straight after the flying forearm and just kips right up without his feet touching the mat first and McMahon blew his knickers off I bet. Roadie was also a fun annoying shit all the way through this and the finish was a fun payoff to that. Mega fun match. WWF was not great in 1995 but this feels pretty easily like a top 10 match in the US that year.
Saturday, 2 February 2019
Saturday Mornin' Minis!
Espectrito & Jerrito Estrada v Mascarita Sagrade & Octagoncito (AAA, 8/28/93)
This was an absolute hoot. Is Espectrito the best mini wrestler ever (I don't count Virus in that because he's been wrestling on main rosters for over twenty years now)? Sagrada has a shout as well, but I'm partial to Espectrito because he's an incredible base, an incredible bumper and an incredible rudo dickhead bully. The chemistry between them is really awesome though and they did a bunch of neat shit together in this, like Espectrito gorilla pressing Sagrada and threatening to fling him into the first row (some guy is like no no please don't throw that small man into my elderly grandmother's face and beverage), the cool armdrag variations and the amazing bump Espectrito takes off the ropes just as you think he's about to Fuerza Bump it to the floor. Half pint Octagon might be a better wrestler than full pint Octagon and he got the absolute dogshit beaten out of him, then later hit mini Estrada with a fucking CORKER of a tope. Jerrito looks about as sleazy as the actual Jerry Estrada and I want you to think about that for a second because that is some outrageous amounts of sleaze. He was also really fun in this but I don't think he was even a wee bit blootered or unfit for work so I question his dedication to the character. Third caida had some awesome rudo bullying and the part where Espectrito full force booted Octagoncito's teeth out the back of his head was absolutely spectacular. I'll watch the Espectrito/Sagrada singles match again at some point in the next dozen years and I bet it's still awesome.
This was an absolute hoot. Is Espectrito the best mini wrestler ever (I don't count Virus in that because he's been wrestling on main rosters for over twenty years now)? Sagrada has a shout as well, but I'm partial to Espectrito because he's an incredible base, an incredible bumper and an incredible rudo dickhead bully. The chemistry between them is really awesome though and they did a bunch of neat shit together in this, like Espectrito gorilla pressing Sagrada and threatening to fling him into the first row (some guy is like no no please don't throw that small man into my elderly grandmother's face and beverage), the cool armdrag variations and the amazing bump Espectrito takes off the ropes just as you think he's about to Fuerza Bump it to the floor. Half pint Octagon might be a better wrestler than full pint Octagon and he got the absolute dogshit beaten out of him, then later hit mini Estrada with a fucking CORKER of a tope. Jerrito looks about as sleazy as the actual Jerry Estrada and I want you to think about that for a second because that is some outrageous amounts of sleaze. He was also really fun in this but I don't think he was even a wee bit blootered or unfit for work so I question his dedication to the character. Third caida had some awesome rudo bullying and the part where Espectrito full force booted Octagoncito's teeth out the back of his head was absolutely spectacular. I'll watch the Espectrito/Sagrada singles match again at some point in the next dozen years and I bet it's still awesome.
Friday, 1 February 2019
Aoyagi v Kurisu; Ishikawa v Ikeda (potatoes for days!)
Masaji Aoyagi v Masa Kurisu (New Japan, 2/5/91)
This was about seven minutes of what you expect out of these two. So if you like what they bring to the table then you'll like seven minutes of them bringing it to the table. I fucking liked what they brought to the table. Aoyagi wasted no time at all and flew at Kurisu with a spin kick as soon as he got in the ring, then shortly thereafter absolutely splattered his nose with a hellish looking knee. Kurisu can sometimes be stingy when it comes to selling strikes so you really need to convince him it's worth his while, and this was one of those shots that he was selling to the back row whether he liked it or not. Of course he gets his revenge by jabbing the point of a chair into Aoyagi's mush and headbutting him about a dozen times in the ear. The referee's first mistake was trying to take the chair off him. His second mistake throwing the match out and trying to take it from him again. He should've walked away and let someone else unfuck that situation. Kurisu as this uncontrollable menace battering referees and ring boys with chairs is really one of the finer things in this game of ours.
Yuki Ishikawa v Daisuke Ikeda (Battlarts, 11/5/11)
Ludicrous strikes, rough grappling, the nastiest version imaginable of at least one thing -- it's the Battlarts. This felt a wee bit greatest hitsy at points, but it's the two kings of the style and it was a fitting way for them to close the book on their rivalry. There was this thread running through the match of Ikeda throwing absolute bastard headbutts - the first was truly revolting - that he always comes out of worse for wear. Ishikawa is a Fujiwara trainee so I guess it'd make sense that he'd develop a rock hard skull. He doesn't quite no-sell them, but he shakes them off pretty quickly while Ikeda is left dizzy. Ikeda's pride won't let him quit though, and when he finally manages to keep Ishikawa down for more than a couple seconds it feels like a true victory for hard-headed stupidity. I have nothing to substantiate this but the crowd here didn't really feel like your usual Battlarts crowd. Maybe it was the occasion of the final Battlarts show bringing out some filthy casuals. Either way some of the reactions were different than usual. Even when these two were smashing the enamel off each other's teeth the die hard Battlarts crowds seemed to take it all in with a sort of silent - maybe stunned - regard. This crowd reacted almost in horror a few times (every headbutt), popped big for some of the crazier punches and kicks, there was even a comedy spot thrown in there. It was like they'd heard about the Battlarts boys coming to town for one final set and this was their last chance to see the two old nutjobs beat the brakes off each other. That all sounds way snobbier than intended because I do not care one way or the other, but there's an amusing sort of irony in the last ever Ishikawa v Ikeda being a monkey show. Some of the selling towards the end was a little spotty, transitions not coming as smoothly as usual, like a beat was skipped or there was a jump in the tape and you missed what came between Ikeda punting Ishikawa in the jaw and Ishikawa suplexing Ikeda on his neck. Maybe they read the crowd and decided just to play the blockbusters. If you want the deep cuts you know where to find them.
This was about seven minutes of what you expect out of these two. So if you like what they bring to the table then you'll like seven minutes of them bringing it to the table. I fucking liked what they brought to the table. Aoyagi wasted no time at all and flew at Kurisu with a spin kick as soon as he got in the ring, then shortly thereafter absolutely splattered his nose with a hellish looking knee. Kurisu can sometimes be stingy when it comes to selling strikes so you really need to convince him it's worth his while, and this was one of those shots that he was selling to the back row whether he liked it or not. Of course he gets his revenge by jabbing the point of a chair into Aoyagi's mush and headbutting him about a dozen times in the ear. The referee's first mistake was trying to take the chair off him. His second mistake throwing the match out and trying to take it from him again. He should've walked away and let someone else unfuck that situation. Kurisu as this uncontrollable menace battering referees and ring boys with chairs is really one of the finer things in this game of ours.
Yuki Ishikawa v Daisuke Ikeda (Battlarts, 11/5/11)
Ludicrous strikes, rough grappling, the nastiest version imaginable of at least one thing -- it's the Battlarts. This felt a wee bit greatest hitsy at points, but it's the two kings of the style and it was a fitting way for them to close the book on their rivalry. There was this thread running through the match of Ikeda throwing absolute bastard headbutts - the first was truly revolting - that he always comes out of worse for wear. Ishikawa is a Fujiwara trainee so I guess it'd make sense that he'd develop a rock hard skull. He doesn't quite no-sell them, but he shakes them off pretty quickly while Ikeda is left dizzy. Ikeda's pride won't let him quit though, and when he finally manages to keep Ishikawa down for more than a couple seconds it feels like a true victory for hard-headed stupidity. I have nothing to substantiate this but the crowd here didn't really feel like your usual Battlarts crowd. Maybe it was the occasion of the final Battlarts show bringing out some filthy casuals. Either way some of the reactions were different than usual. Even when these two were smashing the enamel off each other's teeth the die hard Battlarts crowds seemed to take it all in with a sort of silent - maybe stunned - regard. This crowd reacted almost in horror a few times (every headbutt), popped big for some of the crazier punches and kicks, there was even a comedy spot thrown in there. It was like they'd heard about the Battlarts boys coming to town for one final set and this was their last chance to see the two old nutjobs beat the brakes off each other. That all sounds way snobbier than intended because I do not care one way or the other, but there's an amusing sort of irony in the last ever Ishikawa v Ikeda being a monkey show. Some of the selling towards the end was a little spotty, transitions not coming as smoothly as usual, like a beat was skipped or there was a jump in the tape and you missed what came between Ikeda punting Ishikawa in the jaw and Ishikawa suplexing Ikeda on his neck. Maybe they read the crowd and decided just to play the blockbusters. If you want the deep cuts you know where to find them.
Thursday, 31 January 2019
Murakami!
Kazunari Murakami v Enson Inoue (New Japan, 5/2/03)
This was more of a prison brawl than an actual match, but as far as six minute prison brawls go this was pretty dang fun. I had no recollection whatsoever of Enson Inoue working New Japan but I guess putting him against Murakami for his brief foray into pro-wrestling works fine. I mean why wouldn't you want to put a mixed martial artist in there with a fucking crowbarring maniac? Murakami takes a gang beating by Inoue's corner early on, ends up bleeding profusely, and his sneer as he gets back to his feet might've been the very greatest Murakami sneer in history. The palpable crowd reaction of "holy fuck this guy is truly psychotic" was both warranted and amazing. He then stands and allows Inoue to punch him several times in the face. When he wiped blood away with his hand and licked it clean I about flipped and this was maybe the quintessential Crackpot Murakami performance.
Kazunari Murakami v Mitsuharu Misawa (NOAH, 10/13/06)
Not really the wild or awesome spectacle you'd hope for, so in that sense I suppose it's a touch disappointing, but it still had enough Murakami horse shit to be fun. Unfortunately Misawa didn't seem all that interested here. On the one hand it was pretty amusing seeing him act above engaging in Murakami's antics. Murakami would try and get a rise out of him by throwing dickish jabs and gloating, outright standing on his face while Misawa lay slumped in the corner, stepping onto the ramp and beckoning Misawa to follow, but by and large Misawa played it by the book. A couple times his composure cracked and he drilled Murakami with some elbows, but if that had been Hashimoto in there he'd have taken Murakami behind the woodshed and slaughtered him. Murakami getting cut open and rising from the grave like a sneering zombie ruled though, even if this was one of those NOAH crowds that was more likely to respectfully applaud than bay for blood. And if you're not there rooting for Murakami to wreak havoc then what's the point?
Kazunari Murakami v Naomichi Marufuji (NOAH, 6/8/07)
This was the match that really sold me on Murakami. Back in the faraway time of 2007 when my stupid young self had more interest in hunting down 90s New Japan junior heavyweights or keeping up with Japanese wrestling in general, watching every single thing Murakami had ever done wasn't really a priority. A lot can change in twelve years and I remember even then, watching this on youtube or Veoh or whatever streaming site after it had been posted on the DVDVR board, knowing that Murakami was someone I'd one day come to cherish like my own son. The skinhead, the death stares, licking Marufuji's blood, the straight punches to the jaw. I mean it takes a special kind of lunacy to have a perfect hairline and willingly go bald. At that point I still actually liked Marufuji, and he was fine in this, but it was the Murakami show and it opened my eyes to a whole new world of crazy. Maybe this as much as anything shaped my tastes in wrestling going forward. So there's a story for the grandkids.
This was more of a prison brawl than an actual match, but as far as six minute prison brawls go this was pretty dang fun. I had no recollection whatsoever of Enson Inoue working New Japan but I guess putting him against Murakami for his brief foray into pro-wrestling works fine. I mean why wouldn't you want to put a mixed martial artist in there with a fucking crowbarring maniac? Murakami takes a gang beating by Inoue's corner early on, ends up bleeding profusely, and his sneer as he gets back to his feet might've been the very greatest Murakami sneer in history. The palpable crowd reaction of "holy fuck this guy is truly psychotic" was both warranted and amazing. He then stands and allows Inoue to punch him several times in the face. When he wiped blood away with his hand and licked it clean I about flipped and this was maybe the quintessential Crackpot Murakami performance.
Kazunari Murakami v Mitsuharu Misawa (NOAH, 10/13/06)
Not really the wild or awesome spectacle you'd hope for, so in that sense I suppose it's a touch disappointing, but it still had enough Murakami horse shit to be fun. Unfortunately Misawa didn't seem all that interested here. On the one hand it was pretty amusing seeing him act above engaging in Murakami's antics. Murakami would try and get a rise out of him by throwing dickish jabs and gloating, outright standing on his face while Misawa lay slumped in the corner, stepping onto the ramp and beckoning Misawa to follow, but by and large Misawa played it by the book. A couple times his composure cracked and he drilled Murakami with some elbows, but if that had been Hashimoto in there he'd have taken Murakami behind the woodshed and slaughtered him. Murakami getting cut open and rising from the grave like a sneering zombie ruled though, even if this was one of those NOAH crowds that was more likely to respectfully applaud than bay for blood. And if you're not there rooting for Murakami to wreak havoc then what's the point?
Kazunari Murakami v Naomichi Marufuji (NOAH, 6/8/07)
This was the match that really sold me on Murakami. Back in the faraway time of 2007 when my stupid young self had more interest in hunting down 90s New Japan junior heavyweights or keeping up with Japanese wrestling in general, watching every single thing Murakami had ever done wasn't really a priority. A lot can change in twelve years and I remember even then, watching this on youtube or Veoh or whatever streaming site after it had been posted on the DVDVR board, knowing that Murakami was someone I'd one day come to cherish like my own son. The skinhead, the death stares, licking Marufuji's blood, the straight punches to the jaw. I mean it takes a special kind of lunacy to have a perfect hairline and willingly go bald. At that point I still actually liked Marufuji, and he was fine in this, but it was the Murakami show and it opened my eyes to a whole new world of crazy. Maybe this as much as anything shaped my tastes in wrestling going forward. So there's a story for the grandkids.
Wednesday, 30 January 2019
Hashimoto v Kojima (G-1 '98)
Shinya Hashimoto v Satoshi Kojima (New Japan, 8/2/98)
This felt almost Hashimoto-v-Choshu-Lite, not just for the parts with the lariats and Hashimoto staring them in the face but also for the parts with the lariats and Hashimoto staring them in the face. But hey, if you're going to work a low carb version of a famous match-up then I'm on board with a low carb Hashimoto v Choshu. For real though, Hashimoto was stupid great in this. Any time he gets pissed off enough to double stomp someone's intestines out their mouth you know you're onto a winner. Kojima isn't particularly good nor interesting but he'll at least throw lariats that make a thud, and really that was about all Hash needed to make this work. It's never not amazing to see how Hash will sell progressive damage, how those shots take their toll over the course of a match. He is so good at it. I don't think anybody's ever held a candle to him in making those "let me stand here while you take your best swing at me" spots not look cliche or downright stupid. We've already established that he's a man of honour and a man of honour will give an adversary fair opportunity. But son, you better make the most of it because he will vaporize you if you don't. Match went up a level when Kojima started hitting elbow drops off the top, landing one across Hashimoto's knee that seemed to surprise both him and the crowd in equal measure. Kojima going after the leg made sense if for no reason other than to lessen how hard he'd be kicked in the sternum. Hashimoto's sell of it was impeccable, especially during the figure four, really walking that line between embellishment to ramp up the drama while maintaining a sense of realism. As a response he moved away from the kicks and tried to overhand chop Kojima's arm off. The way he used it in the first instance to block an attempted lariat ruled, then later he went berserk with a huge flurry right to the shoulder. I could've done without Kojima just standing up after a DDT like it was nothing, not even as a goofy fighting spirit spot, just...got up like it hadn't happened, but I guess it's still Kojima and you make peace with that fact. Hash going to the cross armbreaker to seal the deal after the previous DDTs hadn't put Kojima away was a smart finish as well.
This felt almost Hashimoto-v-Choshu-Lite, not just for the parts with the lariats and Hashimoto staring them in the face but also for the parts with the lariats and Hashimoto staring them in the face. But hey, if you're going to work a low carb version of a famous match-up then I'm on board with a low carb Hashimoto v Choshu. For real though, Hashimoto was stupid great in this. Any time he gets pissed off enough to double stomp someone's intestines out their mouth you know you're onto a winner. Kojima isn't particularly good nor interesting but he'll at least throw lariats that make a thud, and really that was about all Hash needed to make this work. It's never not amazing to see how Hash will sell progressive damage, how those shots take their toll over the course of a match. He is so good at it. I don't think anybody's ever held a candle to him in making those "let me stand here while you take your best swing at me" spots not look cliche or downright stupid. We've already established that he's a man of honour and a man of honour will give an adversary fair opportunity. But son, you better make the most of it because he will vaporize you if you don't. Match went up a level when Kojima started hitting elbow drops off the top, landing one across Hashimoto's knee that seemed to surprise both him and the crowd in equal measure. Kojima going after the leg made sense if for no reason other than to lessen how hard he'd be kicked in the sternum. Hashimoto's sell of it was impeccable, especially during the figure four, really walking that line between embellishment to ramp up the drama while maintaining a sense of realism. As a response he moved away from the kicks and tried to overhand chop Kojima's arm off. The way he used it in the first instance to block an attempted lariat ruled, then later he went berserk with a huge flurry right to the shoulder. I could've done without Kojima just standing up after a DDT like it was nothing, not even as a goofy fighting spirit spot, just...got up like it hadn't happened, but I guess it's still Kojima and you make peace with that fact. Hash going to the cross armbreaker to seal the deal after the previous DDTs hadn't put Kojima away was a smart finish as well.
Tuesday, 29 January 2019
WWE Royal Rumble Cherry-Pickin'
The Rumble is one of two big wrestling shows that I still make a point of watching each year and this year's looked like a pretty awesome event on paper. I watched it with a friend and my brother and by the end we were pretty well tanked up (we even watched the pre-show so all told that was like, what, sixteen hours of hard liquor?), and on the whole I thought it delivered a fun time.
Bryan/AJ felt like a match that might've been good but I really didn't care too much about it and on a rewatch I wound up thinking it was the fifth best match on the show. The Miz/Shane tag was whatever but it had an amusing enough ending and Shane looking like he was due to keel over and die was sort of funny maybe. Women's rumble was rough for the first third, then there was a middle third that picked up a bit, and the final third brought it home really well. I haven't watched a lot of Tamina but she does not seem...good. Rhea Ripley looked pretty awesome and the Kacy Catanzaro stuff was fun, especially the spot where she slithered her way up the ring post back into the ring (even if those spots are sort of tired at this point. I mean, "both feet must touch the floor" is being taken more literally than ever and if your whole ass body is chucked out you should probably be eliminated). Becky shouting "put me in, Fit!" and Finlay being all fuck it then go on and the pop ruled. I still figured Charlotte was winning so it was a cool moment when Becky actually pulled it off. I was a wee bit worried when Becky tapped clean as a sheet for Asuka, but in fairness they've managed to book the top women's feud(s) super well the last few months so I'll believe they can continue that going forward. Men's rumble had a Jeff Jarrett appearance and by the end I was rubber enough that I couldn't even remember Nia Jax being in there elbowing folk in the mouth. Rollins winning is a bummer because he is rubbish but Lesnar managed to kill it with Finn Balor so I have a little bit of faith that he can drag something decent out of Seth. I wanted a Velveteen Dream appearance and when I didn't get one I was bummed.
Asuka v Becky Lynch
This had a solid enough first five minutes and they had some nice ideas, though it felt a bit back and forth and didn't totally grab me. Asuka paintbrushing Becky and Becky looking at her like "okay we're doing this now?" was a cool moment. I'm definitely behind Becky getting the big push and think it's awesome how she's gotten herself mega over, but a bunch of her facial expressions can be pretty hokey and I think overall she's a step behind a few of the other women. Still, this picked up when she started going for the Disarm Her and I liked Asuka's sell of the arm for a while after that, especially from the armbar under the turnbuckle bolt. Asuka looked badass here, bunch of really snug strikes and she made those that missed look like she was trying to actually connect, really making Becky work for everything. She also had a few big hip attacks and took a couple nasty bumps, especially the neckbreaker/fisherman buster off the apron that both women crashed hard and awkward on. The struggles over each submission attempt towards the end looked appropriately ragged and Asuka doing a chickenwing Cattle Mutilation was a great finish. I probably wouldn't have had Becky tap clean, but I don't see it hurting her too much and if they're serious about building Asuka back up then fair fucks.
Ronda Rousey v Sasha Banks
The Rousey train keeps on rolling and this was the best Sasha's looked in aaaaages. I was hyped for this and it totally delivered. Everything around the arm was great. Sasha had a bunch of awesome and nasty looking ways of working it over and Rousey continues to be the best seller in the company. The ringpost spot to set it up was killer just for the visual of Ronda literally punching the lights out and she really never looked back from there. She had lots of great little moments around that busted up hand/arm, like throwing punches primarily with her left hand and never being able to throw rights without impunity (and she only threw a couple before abandoning the idea anyway), climbing the ropes using only her left hand, visibly leaving it hanging close by her side -- she never let you forget it was hurt and once or twice it prevented her from grabbing a submission she'd ordinarily have no trouble locking in. Sasha had about as many of those great little moments working from above and some of it was downright Finlayish. Stomps to the hand and fingers as Ronda tried to rope break the Banks Statement, using her own ring attire to get some extra torque on the crossface (as she was selling her own arm at the same time), driving her knee into Ronda's forearm as she tried to pull herself up by the rope. That armbar where she about had Rousey's elbows touching behind her own back was fucking disgusting, then she went even beyond that by adding in the joint-manipulation and finger-bending. I haven't really been interested in Sasha for quite a while, but it looked like she held a lot of this together on the offensive and it was a quality performance from her. Bunch of other cool parts as well, like Sasha hitting a tope early then trying it again later only to be caught and dragged into the armbar, and this might've been the best Rousey's throws have looked yet, she was just whipping Sasha around the ring one-handed and Sasha was snapping into bumps like a pro. Ronda's shit talking ruled yet again and the first time she picked Sasha up she made it clear that this was for all the folk who said she couldn't wrestle. It's still kind of amazing how she'll keep finding ways to hurl herself into submission attempts - like the cross armbreaker while draped over the top rope - and she'll bust out at least one strike per match that looks like it'd cave someone's face in. This time it was a step up knee coming off the ropes, but her body punches early on looked super tight as well and at one point she got surly and front kicked Sasha straight out the ring. Dug the finish too, especially Rousey's "this is over" exclamation between the gutwrench powerbomb and Piper's Pit. Loved this. Ronda is an absolute treasure and if she really does leave after 'Mania it'll feel like one of the biggest missed opportunities ever.
Brock Lesnar v Finn Balor
Man, when Lesnar gives a shit that guy is unbelievable. And he clearly gave a shit here because this was a crazy fun nine minutes. I have no use for Finn Balor and his Lash LeRoux offence but I guess Lesnar decided he was worth working with and boy did Finn take his chance. Lesnar took all of his double stomps right in the guts and I love how he ate those three dives by letting Balor land with his entire weight across his shoulder and neck. He never caught Balor the way most folk would catch a dive, he just lowered his head and let himself be squashed by the wee human full speed somersaulting towards him. Lesnar's diverticulitis coming to bite him after those nasty table bumps ruled and when he can be bothered selling big for someone he's absolutely sensational at it. All of those grimaces, the "ah SHIT!" as he tried to pick Balor up for the German, even struggling to hoist him for an F5 gave Balor that extra bit of time to regroup and reverse it into the DDT. Crazy Lesnar Face making an appearance at the end as he tried to snap Balor's arm like a tree branch was fucking amazing. There have been more than a couple misses in there for sure, but ever since he came back with that Cena match in 2012, motivated and in-the-mood Lesnar is the best big match wrestler in America. This totally smashed my expectations to bits and it was one of the better sub-ten minute matches WWE's had in a while. It's also the most I've ever enjoyed Balor by some distance.
Bryan/AJ felt like a match that might've been good but I really didn't care too much about it and on a rewatch I wound up thinking it was the fifth best match on the show. The Miz/Shane tag was whatever but it had an amusing enough ending and Shane looking like he was due to keel over and die was sort of funny maybe. Women's rumble was rough for the first third, then there was a middle third that picked up a bit, and the final third brought it home really well. I haven't watched a lot of Tamina but she does not seem...good. Rhea Ripley looked pretty awesome and the Kacy Catanzaro stuff was fun, especially the spot where she slithered her way up the ring post back into the ring (even if those spots are sort of tired at this point. I mean, "both feet must touch the floor" is being taken more literally than ever and if your whole ass body is chucked out you should probably be eliminated). Becky shouting "put me in, Fit!" and Finlay being all fuck it then go on and the pop ruled. I still figured Charlotte was winning so it was a cool moment when Becky actually pulled it off. I was a wee bit worried when Becky tapped clean as a sheet for Asuka, but in fairness they've managed to book the top women's feud(s) super well the last few months so I'll believe they can continue that going forward. Men's rumble had a Jeff Jarrett appearance and by the end I was rubber enough that I couldn't even remember Nia Jax being in there elbowing folk in the mouth. Rollins winning is a bummer because he is rubbish but Lesnar managed to kill it with Finn Balor so I have a little bit of faith that he can drag something decent out of Seth. I wanted a Velveteen Dream appearance and when I didn't get one I was bummed.
Asuka v Becky Lynch
This had a solid enough first five minutes and they had some nice ideas, though it felt a bit back and forth and didn't totally grab me. Asuka paintbrushing Becky and Becky looking at her like "okay we're doing this now?" was a cool moment. I'm definitely behind Becky getting the big push and think it's awesome how she's gotten herself mega over, but a bunch of her facial expressions can be pretty hokey and I think overall she's a step behind a few of the other women. Still, this picked up when she started going for the Disarm Her and I liked Asuka's sell of the arm for a while after that, especially from the armbar under the turnbuckle bolt. Asuka looked badass here, bunch of really snug strikes and she made those that missed look like she was trying to actually connect, really making Becky work for everything. She also had a few big hip attacks and took a couple nasty bumps, especially the neckbreaker/fisherman buster off the apron that both women crashed hard and awkward on. The struggles over each submission attempt towards the end looked appropriately ragged and Asuka doing a chickenwing Cattle Mutilation was a great finish. I probably wouldn't have had Becky tap clean, but I don't see it hurting her too much and if they're serious about building Asuka back up then fair fucks.
Ronda Rousey v Sasha Banks
The Rousey train keeps on rolling and this was the best Sasha's looked in aaaaages. I was hyped for this and it totally delivered. Everything around the arm was great. Sasha had a bunch of awesome and nasty looking ways of working it over and Rousey continues to be the best seller in the company. The ringpost spot to set it up was killer just for the visual of Ronda literally punching the lights out and she really never looked back from there. She had lots of great little moments around that busted up hand/arm, like throwing punches primarily with her left hand and never being able to throw rights without impunity (and she only threw a couple before abandoning the idea anyway), climbing the ropes using only her left hand, visibly leaving it hanging close by her side -- she never let you forget it was hurt and once or twice it prevented her from grabbing a submission she'd ordinarily have no trouble locking in. Sasha had about as many of those great little moments working from above and some of it was downright Finlayish. Stomps to the hand and fingers as Ronda tried to rope break the Banks Statement, using her own ring attire to get some extra torque on the crossface (as she was selling her own arm at the same time), driving her knee into Ronda's forearm as she tried to pull herself up by the rope. That armbar where she about had Rousey's elbows touching behind her own back was fucking disgusting, then she went even beyond that by adding in the joint-manipulation and finger-bending. I haven't really been interested in Sasha for quite a while, but it looked like she held a lot of this together on the offensive and it was a quality performance from her. Bunch of other cool parts as well, like Sasha hitting a tope early then trying it again later only to be caught and dragged into the armbar, and this might've been the best Rousey's throws have looked yet, she was just whipping Sasha around the ring one-handed and Sasha was snapping into bumps like a pro. Ronda's shit talking ruled yet again and the first time she picked Sasha up she made it clear that this was for all the folk who said she couldn't wrestle. It's still kind of amazing how she'll keep finding ways to hurl herself into submission attempts - like the cross armbreaker while draped over the top rope - and she'll bust out at least one strike per match that looks like it'd cave someone's face in. This time it was a step up knee coming off the ropes, but her body punches early on looked super tight as well and at one point she got surly and front kicked Sasha straight out the ring. Dug the finish too, especially Rousey's "this is over" exclamation between the gutwrench powerbomb and Piper's Pit. Loved this. Ronda is an absolute treasure and if she really does leave after 'Mania it'll feel like one of the biggest missed opportunities ever.
Brock Lesnar v Finn Balor
Man, when Lesnar gives a shit that guy is unbelievable. And he clearly gave a shit here because this was a crazy fun nine minutes. I have no use for Finn Balor and his Lash LeRoux offence but I guess Lesnar decided he was worth working with and boy did Finn take his chance. Lesnar took all of his double stomps right in the guts and I love how he ate those three dives by letting Balor land with his entire weight across his shoulder and neck. He never caught Balor the way most folk would catch a dive, he just lowered his head and let himself be squashed by the wee human full speed somersaulting towards him. Lesnar's diverticulitis coming to bite him after those nasty table bumps ruled and when he can be bothered selling big for someone he's absolutely sensational at it. All of those grimaces, the "ah SHIT!" as he tried to pick Balor up for the German, even struggling to hoist him for an F5 gave Balor that extra bit of time to regroup and reverse it into the DDT. Crazy Lesnar Face making an appearance at the end as he tried to snap Balor's arm like a tree branch was fucking amazing. There have been more than a couple misses in there for sure, but ever since he came back with that Cena match in 2012, motivated and in-the-mood Lesnar is the best big match wrestler in America. This totally smashed my expectations to bits and it was one of the better sub-ten minute matches WWE's had in a while. It's also the most I've ever enjoyed Balor by some distance.
Sunday, 27 January 2019
If Tenryu'd Known She was Religious then He Wouldn't Have Came Stoned to the House of Such an Angel, too Fucked Up to Get Back Home
Genichiro Tenryu v Akira Taue (All Japan, 4/9/90) - FUN
Pretty similar to their match from TV the same month, which means it had Taue punching above his station and Tenryu making him pay for it. This started with Taue getting the jump as Tenryu was being checked by the ref', taking it outside and laying into him with a chair. When Tenryu made his comeback he grabbed a headlock and a leg scissors which is about the last thing I'd have expected him to do by way of response. It was kind of cool if you look at it as him trying to contain the young punk for a minute so he can regain his bearings. After that he chopped him many times and very hard across the chest, which is about the first thing I'd have expected him to do by way of response. Tenryu is always super giving in this kind of match so Taue got to look like he could hang for a second there, but ultimately we all knew how it would end. Maybe next time, champ.
Genichiro Tenryu v Shinya Hashimoto (New Japan, 8/8/93) - EPIC
Epic, all-time level slugfest and probably my favourite of their epic, all-time level series. What a match-up this is. It's largely built around strikes, and really, if you're going to have two heavyweights work 20+ minutes of striking then I can't think of two I'd rather watch. I can't even tell you how many times I've written on this stupid blog about current day strike exchanges in Japanese wrestling and how none of them come close to Tenryu/Hashimoto. Some hit harder, some hit cleaner, but I don't think any manage to make it all mean as much. "It's about the SELLING," I'll lament. "Nobody knows how to SELL it anymore!" And beyond being an old bastard yelling at clouds because there's not enough 1993 in 2019, I watch this and think yeah, fuck it, nobody knows how to sell that shit anymore. The striking in this told its own story, and more than one of them at that. Tenryu was dismissive, ornery and frantic, depending on which stage of the match you chose to look at. Hashimoto was gutsy, defiant and relentless, depending on whichever depth of himself Tenryu's horseshit had pushed him to. It might actually be my favourite Hashimoto performance and that covers an absurd amount of ground. One of the best things I've ever read about him was written by OJ on the PWO board, probably a good few years back now. It was about how Hashimoto was a man of honour, how he had bushido, how he embodied traditional Japanese values and carried himself the way a samurai should. Tenryu couldn't give a shit about any of that and will make a fight as dirty as he needs to. Sometimes he DOESN'T need to, he'll just do it anyway because it's in his nature. That sort of comportment pushes most men to dish out receipts in kind, but besides one moment early on where he flew at Tenryu in a rage, Hashimoto held his head high and resolved to win on his own terms. I mean he still tried to kick Tenryu's pancreas into the twelfth row but at least he wasn't a prick about it. As an awesome counterpoint, Tenryu was a prick about everything. The majority of his offence for the first three quarters seemed to be booting Hashimoto in the eye socket and chopping him in the Adam's apple. He was contemptuous as was his wont and maybe part of it was seeing how far was too far. At about the midpoint Hash catches him with a hip throw that lands him right on his shoulder, and Tenryu's selling the rest of the match is outstanding. Hash is just rifling him on the arm with roundhouse kicks, trying to tear his arm off, sort of using that as a base to start landing bombs. Last five minutes are off the charts. Tenryu's desperation selling was amazing and the sequence where he counters the German with a bulldog and a koppo kick was out of this world. Hashimoto's face before it as well, teeth bared, a total "fuck you and everything about you" look as he stares down the inevitable. His final dead-on-his-feet gambit before the penultimate powerbomb was everything great about Hashimoto. Phenomenal match, even better than the last time I watched it.
Complete & Accurate Tenryu
Pretty similar to their match from TV the same month, which means it had Taue punching above his station and Tenryu making him pay for it. This started with Taue getting the jump as Tenryu was being checked by the ref', taking it outside and laying into him with a chair. When Tenryu made his comeback he grabbed a headlock and a leg scissors which is about the last thing I'd have expected him to do by way of response. It was kind of cool if you look at it as him trying to contain the young punk for a minute so he can regain his bearings. After that he chopped him many times and very hard across the chest, which is about the first thing I'd have expected him to do by way of response. Tenryu is always super giving in this kind of match so Taue got to look like he could hang for a second there, but ultimately we all knew how it would end. Maybe next time, champ.
Genichiro Tenryu v Shinya Hashimoto (New Japan, 8/8/93) - EPIC
Epic, all-time level slugfest and probably my favourite of their epic, all-time level series. What a match-up this is. It's largely built around strikes, and really, if you're going to have two heavyweights work 20+ minutes of striking then I can't think of two I'd rather watch. I can't even tell you how many times I've written on this stupid blog about current day strike exchanges in Japanese wrestling and how none of them come close to Tenryu/Hashimoto. Some hit harder, some hit cleaner, but I don't think any manage to make it all mean as much. "It's about the SELLING," I'll lament. "Nobody knows how to SELL it anymore!" And beyond being an old bastard yelling at clouds because there's not enough 1993 in 2019, I watch this and think yeah, fuck it, nobody knows how to sell that shit anymore. The striking in this told its own story, and more than one of them at that. Tenryu was dismissive, ornery and frantic, depending on which stage of the match you chose to look at. Hashimoto was gutsy, defiant and relentless, depending on whichever depth of himself Tenryu's horseshit had pushed him to. It might actually be my favourite Hashimoto performance and that covers an absurd amount of ground. One of the best things I've ever read about him was written by OJ on the PWO board, probably a good few years back now. It was about how Hashimoto was a man of honour, how he had bushido, how he embodied traditional Japanese values and carried himself the way a samurai should. Tenryu couldn't give a shit about any of that and will make a fight as dirty as he needs to. Sometimes he DOESN'T need to, he'll just do it anyway because it's in his nature. That sort of comportment pushes most men to dish out receipts in kind, but besides one moment early on where he flew at Tenryu in a rage, Hashimoto held his head high and resolved to win on his own terms. I mean he still tried to kick Tenryu's pancreas into the twelfth row but at least he wasn't a prick about it. As an awesome counterpoint, Tenryu was a prick about everything. The majority of his offence for the first three quarters seemed to be booting Hashimoto in the eye socket and chopping him in the Adam's apple. He was contemptuous as was his wont and maybe part of it was seeing how far was too far. At about the midpoint Hash catches him with a hip throw that lands him right on his shoulder, and Tenryu's selling the rest of the match is outstanding. Hash is just rifling him on the arm with roundhouse kicks, trying to tear his arm off, sort of using that as a base to start landing bombs. Last five minutes are off the charts. Tenryu's desperation selling was amazing and the sequence where he counters the German with a bulldog and a koppo kick was out of this world. Hashimoto's face before it as well, teeth bared, a total "fuck you and everything about you" look as he stares down the inevitable. His final dead-on-his-feet gambit before the penultimate powerbomb was everything great about Hashimoto. Phenomenal match, even better than the last time I watched it.
Complete & Accurate Tenryu
Saturday, 26 January 2019
Jumbo v Misawa: The Rematch
Jumbo Tsuruta v Mitsuharu Misawa (All Japan, 9/1/90)
Yeah, this is the business. I think if you'd asked me ten years ago where I'd put this on an all time list I'd probably have gone somewhere around the top 20. I guess it's a decent barometer of where I'm at with the pro-wrestling these days because it probably wouldn't be within a hundred spots of that now, but even still it's a cracking match. Ageing star trying to hold onto his place in the world is one of my favourite stories in wrestling and this is mostly an awesome telling of that story. Misawa's already beaten Jumbo once. Jumbo's been blitzed by those elbows and still hasn't quite figured out what to do with all that cruiserweight offence. So he either comes up with some answers or he'll be handing over the reins long before he's ready to. Like the June match I thought the first few minutes were shit hot. Misawa throws his first elbow but Jumbo knows all too well what to expect and gets a block. Jumbo then tries his own and Misawa has that scouted...so Jumbo just knees him in the guts. Last time he couldn't deal with Misawa flying around, so this time he won't let him get the chance. The knees to the body and the clubbering looked good too, so that was a bonus. I thought the middle part meandered a bit, much like in the first match. They worked a few holds and it wasn't as if they sat in them for minutes at a time, but it didn't feel like there was a great deal of urgency to them either. A headscissors, an abdominal stretch, Jumbo wearing Misawa down without it ever really grabbing me. There were a few cool moments sprinkled in, though. They play off the finish to the first match with the roles reversed, this time Jumbo flipping the pin attempt for a nearfall. Misawa had some of that flying to fall back on as well, like his Super Astro headbutt off the turnbuckle, and those elbows were always useful in a pinch. He came across as more of a heavyweight this time, whereas before it was a bit closer to cruiserweight stepping up a division. Then Misawa drills Jumbo in the ear one time too many and Jumbo goes apeshit. He didn't survive two years of Tenryu chopping him in the throat only to have his brains scrambled by the new kid's elbows. The new kid had even been Jumbo's understudy for chrissakes! He just batters Misawa all over the place, slams him over a table, hits him with a chair, dismissively chucks him through the ropes when Misawa makes it back in. The crowd can boo if they want but Jumbo's had enough and it's time for this foolishness to end. Everything that comes after this is pretty tremendous. Jumbo walked that line between desperation and frustration and his progressive selling for Misawa's elbows was amazing. The moment he snapped again and started throwing headbutts was doubly amazing, like a man who'd exhausted all other options and been driven to near frenzy. I loved the spot where Misawa tried the same leap off the turnbuckle from earlier only for Jumbo to finally have it scouted and drive him to the mat. Of course that little glimmer of hope is squashed not long after as Misawa catches him AGAIN coming off the top. It's like whack-a-mole where every time you get rid of one problem another one pops up. Misawa combining his two biggest weapons and hitting an elbow off the top rope was awesome, but I guess it was fitting that he went to the well once too often and it ultimately cost him. He had his own little glimmer after kicking out of the first backdrop, but Jumbo catching him with the lariat as he fires up for another elbow was a fitting way to shut him down for good. There are clear parallels between this and things like Hansen/Kobashi. Jumbo was probably as good in this as Hansen's best with Kobashi, but the best Hansen/Kobashi engaged me way more from start to finish. I think the biggest strengths of both matches is how the young guys came out looking great in defeat while the old dogs showed they weren't ready to step down. It's just that neither victory came decisively and you knew it wouldn't be long before those victories stopped coming altogether. I'd comfortably call this great, but I'm not sure it's what I really want to be watching at this stage in my fandom.
Yeah, this is the business. I think if you'd asked me ten years ago where I'd put this on an all time list I'd probably have gone somewhere around the top 20. I guess it's a decent barometer of where I'm at with the pro-wrestling these days because it probably wouldn't be within a hundred spots of that now, but even still it's a cracking match. Ageing star trying to hold onto his place in the world is one of my favourite stories in wrestling and this is mostly an awesome telling of that story. Misawa's already beaten Jumbo once. Jumbo's been blitzed by those elbows and still hasn't quite figured out what to do with all that cruiserweight offence. So he either comes up with some answers or he'll be handing over the reins long before he's ready to. Like the June match I thought the first few minutes were shit hot. Misawa throws his first elbow but Jumbo knows all too well what to expect and gets a block. Jumbo then tries his own and Misawa has that scouted...so Jumbo just knees him in the guts. Last time he couldn't deal with Misawa flying around, so this time he won't let him get the chance. The knees to the body and the clubbering looked good too, so that was a bonus. I thought the middle part meandered a bit, much like in the first match. They worked a few holds and it wasn't as if they sat in them for minutes at a time, but it didn't feel like there was a great deal of urgency to them either. A headscissors, an abdominal stretch, Jumbo wearing Misawa down without it ever really grabbing me. There were a few cool moments sprinkled in, though. They play off the finish to the first match with the roles reversed, this time Jumbo flipping the pin attempt for a nearfall. Misawa had some of that flying to fall back on as well, like his Super Astro headbutt off the turnbuckle, and those elbows were always useful in a pinch. He came across as more of a heavyweight this time, whereas before it was a bit closer to cruiserweight stepping up a division. Then Misawa drills Jumbo in the ear one time too many and Jumbo goes apeshit. He didn't survive two years of Tenryu chopping him in the throat only to have his brains scrambled by the new kid's elbows. The new kid had even been Jumbo's understudy for chrissakes! He just batters Misawa all over the place, slams him over a table, hits him with a chair, dismissively chucks him through the ropes when Misawa makes it back in. The crowd can boo if they want but Jumbo's had enough and it's time for this foolishness to end. Everything that comes after this is pretty tremendous. Jumbo walked that line between desperation and frustration and his progressive selling for Misawa's elbows was amazing. The moment he snapped again and started throwing headbutts was doubly amazing, like a man who'd exhausted all other options and been driven to near frenzy. I loved the spot where Misawa tried the same leap off the turnbuckle from earlier only for Jumbo to finally have it scouted and drive him to the mat. Of course that little glimmer of hope is squashed not long after as Misawa catches him AGAIN coming off the top. It's like whack-a-mole where every time you get rid of one problem another one pops up. Misawa combining his two biggest weapons and hitting an elbow off the top rope was awesome, but I guess it was fitting that he went to the well once too often and it ultimately cost him. He had his own little glimmer after kicking out of the first backdrop, but Jumbo catching him with the lariat as he fires up for another elbow was a fitting way to shut him down for good. There are clear parallels between this and things like Hansen/Kobashi. Jumbo was probably as good in this as Hansen's best with Kobashi, but the best Hansen/Kobashi engaged me way more from start to finish. I think the biggest strengths of both matches is how the young guys came out looking great in defeat while the old dogs showed they weren't ready to step down. It's just that neither victory came decisively and you knew it wouldn't be long before those victories stopped coming altogether. I'd comfortably call this great, but I'm not sure it's what I really want to be watching at this stage in my fandom.
Friday, 25 January 2019
Back to where it all started...
Jumbo Tsuruta v Mitsuharu Misawa (All Japan, 6/8/90)
I haven't watched this in close to fifteen years. I imagine that, like a lot of people, it was my gateway to 90s All Japan. I remember reading back then about the deep storytelling and how you really needed to watch a lot of it chronologically to pick up on all the intricate details they were weaving into these matches. 6/9/95 is the pinnacle of pro-wrestling but you better check out these fifty three matches that came before it to REALLY get a handle on the tale they're telling. It was kind of carny in retrospect, but the passion folk had for writing about it was infectious and it's certainly a major reason why I started watching stuff outside of my WWF/WCW comfort zone. This always made sense as the place to dive in. You got the ageing ace of the 70s/80s and the future ace of the 90s. You got to see where Misawa cemented his spot. You got to see King's Road in its infancy. Plus you needed to see this for the sixth interaction between Misawa and Kawada in the fourteenth Misawa/Kobashi v Kawada/Taue match to truly resonate the way it should so really it was the perfect place to start. I don't remember exactly what I thought about it on last watch, never mind the very first watch. In 2019, at a point where I've mostly closed the book on 90s All Japan, I thought it had a great opening five minutes and a great closing five minutes but a middle fifteen that didn't really do a ton for me. I guess I'd rather be watching Battlarts? The opening ruled and I thought they did a solid job establishing both guys' strengths. Misawa wrestled more like a heavyweight than he did as Tiger Mask, but he only shed the hood a couple weeks ago so he still had some of those tricks up his sleeve. He had to get squirmy to escape a backdrop, reversing it into a pinning situation which I guess is a cool bit of foreshadowing for the finish. Then he went to the fake-out tope and dropkicked Jumbo into the barricade. That was an awesome spot because Jumbo obviously wasn't seeing anything like it from the heavyweights he was used to wrestling. It established a point of attack for Misawa that Jumbo probably didn't have an answer for (yet). Jumbo hitting the high knee and 'OH'ing with the crowd felt appropriately dismissive, but then Misawa slapped him across the face because he's here to stay. At that point you expect Jumbo to maul him, but they mostly settle into a steady wrestling match and Jumbo working from above wasn't the most compelling. I remembered Misawa's strikes playing a bigger role as well, especially after the six-man that started the whole thing where he was scrambling Jumbo's brains with elbows. Or maybe it was the rematch where they really played that up. I did like that Misawa's flying bailed him out a few more times in the body of the match and the big plancha to the floor down the stretch looked killer. Even when Jumbo was dominant there was always that danger of Misawa being agile enough to pull *something* out the bag. That of course plays into the finish and I still think it works really well, as does the set up with Jumbo taking the crazy bump into the ropes (which I'd forgotten about). Misawa managed to hang with him and it always felt like he was in with a chance, even if it was because of how different he was to Jumbo's most recent rivals. He may not have won decisively, but he used that athleticism to best Jumbo when he needed to and a three count is a three count. I always thought the rematch was the real classic so maybe I'll check that out again soon. I haven't seen that in about fifteen years, either.
I haven't watched this in close to fifteen years. I imagine that, like a lot of people, it was my gateway to 90s All Japan. I remember reading back then about the deep storytelling and how you really needed to watch a lot of it chronologically to pick up on all the intricate details they were weaving into these matches. 6/9/95 is the pinnacle of pro-wrestling but you better check out these fifty three matches that came before it to REALLY get a handle on the tale they're telling. It was kind of carny in retrospect, but the passion folk had for writing about it was infectious and it's certainly a major reason why I started watching stuff outside of my WWF/WCW comfort zone. This always made sense as the place to dive in. You got the ageing ace of the 70s/80s and the future ace of the 90s. You got to see where Misawa cemented his spot. You got to see King's Road in its infancy. Plus you needed to see this for the sixth interaction between Misawa and Kawada in the fourteenth Misawa/Kobashi v Kawada/Taue match to truly resonate the way it should so really it was the perfect place to start. I don't remember exactly what I thought about it on last watch, never mind the very first watch. In 2019, at a point where I've mostly closed the book on 90s All Japan, I thought it had a great opening five minutes and a great closing five minutes but a middle fifteen that didn't really do a ton for me. I guess I'd rather be watching Battlarts? The opening ruled and I thought they did a solid job establishing both guys' strengths. Misawa wrestled more like a heavyweight than he did as Tiger Mask, but he only shed the hood a couple weeks ago so he still had some of those tricks up his sleeve. He had to get squirmy to escape a backdrop, reversing it into a pinning situation which I guess is a cool bit of foreshadowing for the finish. Then he went to the fake-out tope and dropkicked Jumbo into the barricade. That was an awesome spot because Jumbo obviously wasn't seeing anything like it from the heavyweights he was used to wrestling. It established a point of attack for Misawa that Jumbo probably didn't have an answer for (yet). Jumbo hitting the high knee and 'OH'ing with the crowd felt appropriately dismissive, but then Misawa slapped him across the face because he's here to stay. At that point you expect Jumbo to maul him, but they mostly settle into a steady wrestling match and Jumbo working from above wasn't the most compelling. I remembered Misawa's strikes playing a bigger role as well, especially after the six-man that started the whole thing where he was scrambling Jumbo's brains with elbows. Or maybe it was the rematch where they really played that up. I did like that Misawa's flying bailed him out a few more times in the body of the match and the big plancha to the floor down the stretch looked killer. Even when Jumbo was dominant there was always that danger of Misawa being agile enough to pull *something* out the bag. That of course plays into the finish and I still think it works really well, as does the set up with Jumbo taking the crazy bump into the ropes (which I'd forgotten about). Misawa managed to hang with him and it always felt like he was in with a chance, even if it was because of how different he was to Jumbo's most recent rivals. He may not have won decisively, but he used that athleticism to best Jumbo when he needed to and a three count is a three count. I always thought the rematch was the real classic so maybe I'll check that out again soon. I haven't seen that in about fifteen years, either.
Thursday, 24 January 2019
MS-1 v Cien Caras (ft. Satanico and Mascara Ano 2000)
MS-1 v Cien Caras (Hair v Hair) (AAA)
This was a AAA wagers match alright. Tirantes bullshit, each man's second getting involved several times, some dude having his head shaved as the victor's music and pyro blazes in the background. But hey, the Tirantes bullshit wasn't totally over the top, the involvement of each guy's second was fun as fuck, and the music and pyro blazing as the loser has his head shaved actively ruled. So this was an enjoyable hair match between two of the most charismatic old dudes in lucha. MS-1 and Satanico made for an awesome pair of thugs through those first couple caidas. Every single chance he had, Satanico would get involved. He threw pot shots, tripped up Caras when the comeback might've been on, I think at one point he even punched him in the balls. It all got a bit much for Mascara Ano 2000 and he finally jumped Satanico for his nonsense, but all that did was get himself removed from ringside. Satanico going a step too far in the segunda and also getting bounced set up the tercera as a proper showdown. In execution it felt more like the third fall of a title match, but they sold the struggle well and I'll probably never not get into a big Cien Caras deciding fall. Say whatever you want about him as a worker, but that dude has charisma out the wazoo and his death stare at Tirantes was unbelievable.
This was a AAA wagers match alright. Tirantes bullshit, each man's second getting involved several times, some dude having his head shaved as the victor's music and pyro blazes in the background. But hey, the Tirantes bullshit wasn't totally over the top, the involvement of each guy's second was fun as fuck, and the music and pyro blazing as the loser has his head shaved actively ruled. So this was an enjoyable hair match between two of the most charismatic old dudes in lucha. MS-1 and Satanico made for an awesome pair of thugs through those first couple caidas. Every single chance he had, Satanico would get involved. He threw pot shots, tripped up Caras when the comeback might've been on, I think at one point he even punched him in the balls. It all got a bit much for Mascara Ano 2000 and he finally jumped Satanico for his nonsense, but all that did was get himself removed from ringside. Satanico going a step too far in the segunda and also getting bounced set up the tercera as a proper showdown. In execution it felt more like the third fall of a title match, but they sold the struggle well and I'll probably never not get into a big Cien Caras deciding fall. Say whatever you want about him as a worker, but that dude has charisma out the wazoo and his death stare at Tirantes was unbelievable.
Monday, 21 January 2019
1990 CMLL Project
Tier 1
Tier 2
El Dandy, Mogur & Popitekus v MS-1, Pierroth Jr. & Ulises (CMLL, 1/5/90)
Pierroth Jr. v Mogur (CMLL, 1/12/90)
Tier 3
Aguila Solitaria, Pantera II & Ciclon Ramirez v El Supremo, El Hijo del Gladiator & Herodes (CMLL, 1/5/90)
Angel Azteca v Emilio Charles Jr. (CMLL, 1/12/90)
Mascarita Sagrada, La Aranita & Aguilita Solitaria v Espectrito, Pequeno Goliath & Piratita Morgan (CMLL, 1/12/90)
Canelo Casas, Comando Ruso & Pánico v Ráfaga Azul, Remo Banda & Rokambole (CMLL, 1/19/90)
Angel Azteca, Super Astro & Mascara Sagrada v MS-1, Herodes & Tierra, Viento y Fuego (CMLL, 1/19/90)
Tier 4
Angel Azteca, Super Astro & Kung Fu v Emilio Charles Jr., Jaque Mate & Espectro Jr. (CMLL, 1/5/90)
La Diabólica & Martha Villalobos v Pantera Sureña & Zuleyma (CMLL, 1/19/90)
Pierroth Jr., Ulises & Super Halcon v Javier Llanes, Huracan Ramirez & Americo Rocca (CMLL, 1/19/90)
Saturday, 19 January 2019
1990 CMLL Midcard Madness
La Diabólica & Martha Villalobos v Pantera Sureña & Zuleyma (CMLL, 1/19/90)
This was alright. Most of Mexican women's wrestling is a total blind spot for me so I'm pretty sure I'd never seen any of these four previously. It started out with a nice exchange between Diabolica and Zuleyma where they were really whipping each other around the ring by the arm. Villalobos looks a bit like Mr. Pogo or maybe a sister of the Headhunters. She was a lot of fun as a big bully who was really a shitbag at heart. Lots of cheapshots before hightailing it, full of hubris while not actually wanting any part of the fight. The rudos turned it into a brawl pretty sharpish and it never settled back into a fair contest after that. They were always looking for shortcuts somewhere and I think Diabolica pleaded for the tecnicos to be DQd at one point because I guess Zuleyma dropkicked her in the tiddies. Second caida had the rudos run through the full playbook of miscommunication spots as the tecnicos had them on toast. Villalobos also took a bunch of amusing timber style bumps and accidentally squashed her partner many times.
Canelo Casas, Comando Ruso & Pánico v Ráfaga Azul, Remo Banda & Rokambole (CMLL, 1/19/90)
Perfectly fine midcard trios. I'm not familiar with a few of these guys so I was interested in seeing what your Rokamboles and Remo Bandas of the world were bringing to the table. Baby Heavy Metal was pretty fun in this as he went out of his way to act like a prick and took a couple quality bumps. The rudo unit in general were all good, actually. Casas' hair is exceptional and man is that a talented family with A+ genetics. I've only seen Panico a few times but he's usually an entertaining stooge and he was again here. Ruso was only really interested in engaging when the situation suited him and of course it riled the tecnicos up from start to finish. He had a few cool exchanges with Banda, the latter taking some picture perfect back body drops, really high angle with the rotation coming right at the last second. I bet peak Ruso and Panico would be a blast.
1990 CMLL Project
This was alright. Most of Mexican women's wrestling is a total blind spot for me so I'm pretty sure I'd never seen any of these four previously. It started out with a nice exchange between Diabolica and Zuleyma where they were really whipping each other around the ring by the arm. Villalobos looks a bit like Mr. Pogo or maybe a sister of the Headhunters. She was a lot of fun as a big bully who was really a shitbag at heart. Lots of cheapshots before hightailing it, full of hubris while not actually wanting any part of the fight. The rudos turned it into a brawl pretty sharpish and it never settled back into a fair contest after that. They were always looking for shortcuts somewhere and I think Diabolica pleaded for the tecnicos to be DQd at one point because I guess Zuleyma dropkicked her in the tiddies. Second caida had the rudos run through the full playbook of miscommunication spots as the tecnicos had them on toast. Villalobos also took a bunch of amusing timber style bumps and accidentally squashed her partner many times.
Canelo Casas, Comando Ruso & Pánico v Ráfaga Azul, Remo Banda & Rokambole (CMLL, 1/19/90)
Perfectly fine midcard trios. I'm not familiar with a few of these guys so I was interested in seeing what your Rokamboles and Remo Bandas of the world were bringing to the table. Baby Heavy Metal was pretty fun in this as he went out of his way to act like a prick and took a couple quality bumps. The rudo unit in general were all good, actually. Casas' hair is exceptional and man is that a talented family with A+ genetics. I've only seen Panico a few times but he's usually an entertaining stooge and he was again here. Ruso was only really interested in engaging when the situation suited him and of course it riled the tecnicos up from start to finish. He had a few cool exchanges with Banda, the latter taking some picture perfect back body drops, really high angle with the rotation coming right at the last second. I bet peak Ruso and Panico would be a blast.
1990 CMLL Project
Friday, 18 January 2019
Azteca v Emilio and Pierroth v Mogur: Title Match Friday!
Angel Azteca v Emilio Charles Jr. (CMLL, 1/12/90)
Sort of by the numbers for a title match, but then it's these two in 1990 so by the numbers is still very watchable. I thought Emilio was really fun here as he slowly lost his grip on proceedings. He didn't dominate the first caida as such, but he won it decisively in the end and you could tell he smelled blood by the way he celebrated. Then he let Azteca back into the game in the segunda - or Azteca fought his way back into it - and by the tercera he was beginning to unravel. In the primera he was willing to take a step back and regroup, where losing an exchange wasn't so critical and a mistake unlikely to be the difference between winning and losing. In the tercera, with the match on a knife edge, you could see him getting desperate. For a rudo like Emilio that meant pleading with the ref', adamant that Azteca had fouled him while everyone else in the arena saw it for what it was. A rudo starting out clean and confident before slipping into his true nature over the course of a match is a play we've seen a million times, but it's a timeless sort of theater and Emilio does it as well as anyone. More than a wonderful pro-wrestler, that man was a thespian. For Azteca, most of what he was doing early in the year kind of feels like a warm-up for the Dandy feud. It's not like he's treading water, but if you've seen the Dandy stuff then it's hard not to compare everything else to it. And not a ton compares (of course I'm hyped to check out the June match again for the first time in a decade).
Pierroth Jr. v Mogur (CMLL, 1/12/90)
This struck me as more of a fully-formed title match, though I'm not really sure how to quantify that. I guess it felt like everything carried more weight, like the impact of what they were doing was greater. Or something or other. It took me a minute to get into the primera but once I did I wasn't looking back. I've never thought of Pierroth as a mat worker. It's not that I'd have called him a bad one, it's just not the first thing that comes to mind if you bring up Pierroth. He was impressive in this, though. The mat work wasn't especially slick and it certainly wasn't tricked out, but it was rough and every time someone grabbed an arm it looked super tight. Mogur's arm wringers were brutal and Pierroth took a handful of bumps straight onto his shoulder. It was a fall that had plenty of time to build and they used that time wisely. The tercera followed suit and they upped the drama appropriately, with Mogur's dive looking sloppy and desperate and an awesome fight over a tapatia. I also loved Pierroth's low blow in the segunda. A good shot to the balls will go a long way with me and this was subtle enough that you probably missed it in real time, but on replay it was clear as day. I've always loved Pierroth and this was a side of him we didn't get to see too often. The title match, I mean. The low blow was nothing new.
1990 CMLL Project
This struck me as more of a fully-formed title match, though I'm not really sure how to quantify that. I guess it felt like everything carried more weight, like the impact of what they were doing was greater. Or something or other. It took me a minute to get into the primera but once I did I wasn't looking back. I've never thought of Pierroth as a mat worker. It's not that I'd have called him a bad one, it's just not the first thing that comes to mind if you bring up Pierroth. He was impressive in this, though. The mat work wasn't especially slick and it certainly wasn't tricked out, but it was rough and every time someone grabbed an arm it looked super tight. Mogur's arm wringers were brutal and Pierroth took a handful of bumps straight onto his shoulder. It was a fall that had plenty of time to build and they used that time wisely. The tercera followed suit and they upped the drama appropriately, with Mogur's dive looking sloppy and desperate and an awesome fight over a tapatia. I also loved Pierroth's low blow in the segunda. A good shot to the balls will go a long way with me and this was subtle enough that you probably missed it in real time, but on replay it was clear as day. I've always loved Pierroth and this was a side of him we didn't get to see too often. The title match, I mean. The low blow was nothing new.
1990 CMLL Project
Thursday, 17 January 2019
Eddie/Santo v Casas/Panther (that just showed up on YouTube out of nowhere because it's Mexico and fuck it why not?)
El Hijo del Santo & Eddie Guerrero v Negro Casas & Blue Panther (Gimnasio Josue Neri Santos, 1987)
What a phenomenal discovery. It's sort of staggering that this was just lying around on a film reel or VHS or whatever and then randomly showed up on YouTube. Like, who even has all this stuff? How did they come to be in possession of it? How did nobody else seem to know it ever happened? I'll geek for just about any new Eddie Guerrero footage regardless, but this was a truly exceptional wrestling match. It was basically twenty five minutes of grappling where everyone got to pair up and really stretch out. I know Los Gringos Locos gave Eddie the launchpad to the US and eventual stardom, but after watching this I selfishly wish he'd gone to CMLL for a few years instead. He was 20 years old here, had been wrestling for a year tops, and legitimately hung every step of the way with three of the ten best luchadors ever. I had no clue he could work the mat like this so early in his career and we certainly never saw anything like it in the AAA run. Being in with Casas and Panther wouldn't have hurt and I've no doubt they were feeding him here and there, but there was a lot of this that you couldn't fake. He was adding so many cool little touches to his holds and his takedowns were super slick. My favourite part of the match was an extended spell between him and Casas that was as rugged as anything you'll see in lucha. The struggle over Eddie's belly-to-belly suplex ruled, but then they went and topped it with the fight over a butterfly suplex, Casas' shoulders being bent at disgusting angles as he tries to fight out of the underhooks, Eddie refusing to let go and eventually just muscling him over. I think I'm about ready to settle on Casas being the GOAT. He was unbelievable in this. Everything was fought for, whether it was that exchange with Eddie or his refusal to let Santo hook in anything without scratching and clawing for it first. If Santo wanted that tapatia Casas was going to make the process of applying it a miserable one. Of course all those Casas/Santo exchanges were wonderful and it peaked at the end of the first caida with Santo springboarding off his back into a rana. Santo might be the most graceful wrestler ever and all of his armdrag variations looked absolutely gorgeous. It sucked that the cameraman missed his corner tope, but there's something ridiculously cool about him torpedoing through the ropes too quickly for anybody to react in time to capture it. An awesome match and an awesome find. A big batch of young phenom Eddie Guerrero working Juarez is now probably my ultimate wrestling nerd holy grail.
Wednesday, 16 January 2019
1990 CMLL...Minis!
Mascarita Sagrada, La Aranita & Aguilita Solitaria v Espectrito, Pequeno Goliath & Piratita Morgan (CMLL, 1/12/90)
Even the minis got to rule it in 1990. CMLL truly was top banana that year. And this had a bit of everything; neat matwork, fun brawling, quick exchanges, some comedy, and it got plenty of time to boot. Espectrito really feels like one of the most underrated wrestlers ever. He's an incredible rudo base and the pairing with Mascarita Sagrada is an all-time great minis match-up. They had a ton of awesome stuff together here, like Sagrada using Espectrito's back as a launchpad into a tricked out armdrag, about six hundred other armdrag variations, Espectrito military pressing Sagrada and chucking him onto the top turnbuckle, cool rope running sequences where they incorporated one or both of the other rudos, just a highlight reel of awesome moments (even with a couple minor hiccups). They didn't work exclusively with each other either so we got Sagrada turning Piratita Morgan inside out and Espectrito bullying some guy in a Spider-Man getup. La Aranita is the Spider-Man in question and I'm wondering if CMLL didn't cop some shit for that because it's pretty much a carbon copy of the costume. I don't think I've actually seen him before but he was pretty slick and matched up nicely with all three rudos. Pequeno Goliath was responsible for most of the comedy, lots of stooging and miscommunication stuff, bits where he can't move quick enough to keep up with the faster tecnicos, a few comedy bumps and temper tantrums. Of all six he's the one who you probably could've slotted into a WWF minis match most easily (not that I imagine the other five would've found it difficult). Really fun match.
1990 CMLL Project
Even the minis got to rule it in 1990. CMLL truly was top banana that year. And this had a bit of everything; neat matwork, fun brawling, quick exchanges, some comedy, and it got plenty of time to boot. Espectrito really feels like one of the most underrated wrestlers ever. He's an incredible rudo base and the pairing with Mascarita Sagrada is an all-time great minis match-up. They had a ton of awesome stuff together here, like Sagrada using Espectrito's back as a launchpad into a tricked out armdrag, about six hundred other armdrag variations, Espectrito military pressing Sagrada and chucking him onto the top turnbuckle, cool rope running sequences where they incorporated one or both of the other rudos, just a highlight reel of awesome moments (even with a couple minor hiccups). They didn't work exclusively with each other either so we got Sagrada turning Piratita Morgan inside out and Espectrito bullying some guy in a Spider-Man getup. La Aranita is the Spider-Man in question and I'm wondering if CMLL didn't cop some shit for that because it's pretty much a carbon copy of the costume. I don't think I've actually seen him before but he was pretty slick and matched up nicely with all three rudos. Pequeno Goliath was responsible for most of the comedy, lots of stooging and miscommunication stuff, bits where he can't move quick enough to keep up with the faster tecnicos, a few comedy bumps and temper tantrums. Of all six he's the one who you probably could've slotted into a WWF minis match most easily (not that I imagine the other five would've found it difficult). Really fun match.
1990 CMLL Project
Tuesday, 15 January 2019
Maybe I should start that 1990 CMLL Project...
El Dandy, Mogur & Popitekus v MS-1, Pierroth Jr. & Ulises (CMLL, 1/5/90)
Well this was pretty awesome. I thought it started to lose a wee bit of steam after the lengthy first caida, but it was a great fall and it's not like anything after it was bad. Dandy/MS-1 had a wonderful exchange here and it's another one of those occasions in lucha where you hope for a long lost apuestas match where they're biting chunks out each other's forehead. This was way more mat-based (a title match certainly wouldn't suck), but MS-1 never could help himself even in a gentleman's contest so you knew there was potential for it to spill over. It eventually did, though it was Pierroth who really instigated it when he started punting Mogur in the spine. MS-1 dickishly standing on Popitekus as Ulises covered him at the end of the fall is one of those awesome little moments that separates the good wrestlers from the great ones. Popitekus is a fun fatboy luchador because he could squash just about anybody he lands on, but he's also a lovable big fella and has the haircut his granny gave him so when the rudos put the boots to him it's like a gang of bullies beating up a fat kid. Then when he fights back you know someone's lungs are getting crushed, so really it's the best of both worlds. I thought the tecnico comeback maybe came a bit too easy, although Mogur responding with his own kidney-punting and mask-ripping was a fitting enough way to swing the tide. His selling in the tercera as he stumbled around bleeding was a nice touch as well. Dandy hitting a bunch of cool spin kicks isn't something I remembered him doing in 1990. It's been a while since I've watched most of his run that year but I'll be shocked if I don't still think he was the best wrestler in the world. Even if it was a relatively short peak, that '89-'92 stretch was pretty remarkable.
1990 CMLL Project
Well this was pretty awesome. I thought it started to lose a wee bit of steam after the lengthy first caida, but it was a great fall and it's not like anything after it was bad. Dandy/MS-1 had a wonderful exchange here and it's another one of those occasions in lucha where you hope for a long lost apuestas match where they're biting chunks out each other's forehead. This was way more mat-based (a title match certainly wouldn't suck), but MS-1 never could help himself even in a gentleman's contest so you knew there was potential for it to spill over. It eventually did, though it was Pierroth who really instigated it when he started punting Mogur in the spine. MS-1 dickishly standing on Popitekus as Ulises covered him at the end of the fall is one of those awesome little moments that separates the good wrestlers from the great ones. Popitekus is a fun fatboy luchador because he could squash just about anybody he lands on, but he's also a lovable big fella and has the haircut his granny gave him so when the rudos put the boots to him it's like a gang of bullies beating up a fat kid. Then when he fights back you know someone's lungs are getting crushed, so really it's the best of both worlds. I thought the tecnico comeback maybe came a bit too easy, although Mogur responding with his own kidney-punting and mask-ripping was a fitting enough way to swing the tide. His selling in the tercera as he stumbled around bleeding was a nice touch as well. Dandy hitting a bunch of cool spin kicks isn't something I remembered him doing in 1990. It's been a while since I've watched most of his run that year but I'll be shocked if I don't still think he was the best wrestler in the world. Even if it was a relatively short peak, that '89-'92 stretch was pretty remarkable.
1990 CMLL Project
Monday, 14 January 2019
Couple 1990 CMLL Trios
Aguila Solitaria, Pantera II & Ciclon Ramirez v El Supremo, El Hijo del Gladiator & Herodes (CMLL, 1/5/90)
Man, Herodes was the best. Best stooge, best bruiser, best everything. He was past his physical peak by 1990 even though he'd only been wrestling about twenty years, which by lucha standards is no more than the blink of an eye. He'd gained weight and wasn't terribly mobile, but what he'd lost in athleticism he'd gained in pure scuzz. The mask he wore pre-match was a Lidl brand Demolition hood, he was almost entirely bald on the top but still thick on the sides and retained the terrible rat tail, his dodgy Motorhead beard making him look like Brazo de Plata if Brazo de Plata inhaled Triple H. He started this on the apron, more goofy than menacing as he joked around a bit with some folk in the crowd. He was like the daft uncle at Christmas dinner who'd tell the kids that pulling on his ponytail would make him bite their fingers off. It was largely a stooge performance overall, giving up the ghost a couple times and taking a powder mid-exchange, but he got to bowl a few guys over and there was one gorgeous little sequence with Ciclon Ramirez that belied his impending decrepitude (not that it stopped him wrestling another ten years anyway). The first caida was about as basic as you'll get, but it got time to develop and was ultimately satisfying. I'm not familiar at all with Aguila Solitaria and I know I haven't seen much El Supremo. They were fine though, and their exchange to start the match was decent enough. The rudos chasing themselves in circles trying to catch Pantera wasn't quite Fuerza and Panther chasing Rey Jr., but it was a fun little segment that at least had you buying their reasons for snapping. You don't humiliate a man like Herodes and if Supremo and Gladiator are teaming with him you don't humiliate them either. A man's game charges a man's prices. They should've known better.
Angel Azteca, Super Astro & Kung Fu v Emilio Charles Jr., Jaque Mate & Espectro Jr. (CMLL, 1/5/90)
Emilio Charles Jr. is also the very best. I don't know if he and Angel Azteca had beef coming in but Emilio winning an exchange fair and square leading to Azteca having a vendetta against him for the rest of the match makes me think Emilio may have pissed him off in the recent past. It was sort of an overblown response from a tecnico, but then this is Emilio and I'm sure he did something to deserve it. There was a great moment where Azteca, mid-exchange with Espectro, turned to the rudo corner and smashed Emilio with a forearm. Anybody else and you'd have said it was uncalled for. Emilio of course got his revenge during the inevitable rudo beatdown and I feel like you could easily slot him into that Arn Anderson category of guys who seamlessly go from stooge to killer in seconds. Super Astro was really fun with all of his bamboozling footwork and his springboards always look gorgeous. The big dive of the match was a tope to a prone Jaque Mate and he landed with all of his stockiness across Mate's upper body. He also had a cool opening exchange with Espectro where Espectro ribbed him for being tiny so Astro stomped on his bare boot. It's always a little surprising that Azteca never wound up being a superstar. He had pretty much everything you'd want in a masked tecnico and yet I don't remember him doing anything of note after the Dandy feud.
1990 CMLL Project
1990 CMLL Project
Saturday, 22 December 2018
More Hair, More Masks...but no Blood!
Ultimo Guerrero v Mr. Aguila (Mask v Mask) (CMLL, 9/11/98)
Man, I'd forgotten how cool Aguila's mask was. He basically fell off my radar entirely years ago and I haven't seen him in forever. Didn't even know this was out there or that he'd lost the mask. But really, it's a cracker of a mask. This wasn't your granddaddy's apuestas but I thought it was an enjoyable version of one built mostly around dives rather than piss and blood and guts. All of Aguila's dives looked great, especially the corkscrew Asai moonsault, though I guess you'd have liked for Ultimo to take a lunatic bump into the seats and leave someone wearing their own dinner. The way he used UG's kickout to set up a submission was a really cool finish to the primera as well. Ultimo was a fun bruiser when he was on top, especially in the opening few minutes, then after that he was mostly about the bumping. There was one great moment towards the end where he finally managed to pull the plug on one of Aguila's dives and Aguila took a nutso hotshot bump across the top rope. Third caida had some decent drama, and even if it was mostly my turn-your turn they never dragged it out to eternity by lying around selling everything for six minutes at a time. Perfectly fun mask match and I'd like to check out some of the build up.
Negro Casas v Blue Panther (Hair v Hair) (CMLL, 3/2/12)
This also wasn't your granddaddy's apuestas. All four of the hair/mask matches I've watched over the last couple days have been approached in different ways. 2012 CMLL is not 1986 CMLL so this was never going to be Fiera/Babe Face. You were never going to get buckets of blood and guys biting chunks out each other's forehead. It didn't go the Ultimo/Aguila route either and we thank the old gods and the new because, you know, that was fun and all but you want a little more from two of the all-time GOATS. We sure got that and this was everything that was promised. I remember watching the lead-in trios and lightning match at the time and kind of being in awe at how much they were kicking the living shit out of each other. You don't typically associate lucha with stiffness and potato shots, but these two were working stiff as a bastard and being as vicious as possible. The first caida of this was basically the best possible five minute WAR midcard match and it was incredible. Casas headbutts Panther in the cheek three seconds in and it was one of the meanest headbutts I've ever seen. He was throwing kicks to the chest and stomps to the head like Kitahara working over a trainee. Then Panther nailed him with a Tenryu right hand and grabbed a flash Fujiwara armbar that the man himself would've been proud of. It was a wonderful little stretch of violence and suddenly you don't miss the disgusting bloodletting so much after all. Second fall was short as well, but you had Panther working over the shoulder and it was as gritty as you'd want. Casas reversing the surfboard into a stretch muffler is an absurdly great counter in isolation, but what made it even better is that it led to Panther selling the leg, which in turn gave Casas the set up for tying the match (a dropkick to the knee followed by the magistral). In between the segunda and tercera Casas continued to go after the leg and did it in super nasty fashion, like bending it at a hideous angle over a barricade and smashing it into the ramp. Casas' mocking of Panther to start the fall was unbelievable. They're both the same age, but Panther with his balding pate and slightly sagging physique actually looks like a man in his fifties, and that was before he was hobbling around on one leg (this was some phenomenal hobbling, btw). On the other hand, Casas practically looks the same as he did twenty years earlier. Maybe a little more grey on the sides, but to look at him you wouldn't have thought him a man of 52 years. He had two good legs and Panther only had one, so who gives a shit about humility? Then it went on and Casas seemed to come to the realisation that Panther may look like an old man but he sure doesn't fight like one. The tercera really was sensational. If you can't have a gorefest then something like this will do in a pinch because the violence never dropped, there was never a point where it didn't look like a struggle, and the attention to detail was astonishing. Hardly anybody works in and out of holds like this anymore. I'd need to watch it twice just to pick up on all of the amazing little micro details, but they were myriad and even if you're not into lucha I can't imagine you not getting something out of this. I think my favourite part was when Panther was on the apron and Casas grabbed a choke, and Panther lying on the floor afterwards staring at the ceiling was quite the visual. Panther then dragged Casas off the apron into a brutal armbar and followed up with a bullet tope that about put him head-first through the barricade. I guess my one complaint is that the limb damage they established in the first couple falls was dropped a bit suddenly. Panther's selling to start the tercera was tremendous, then not long after that it didn't seem to matter. There wasn't really a bridge between the leg being useless and it no longer being an issue. It doesn't bother me too much because it didn't need to be a bigger part of their story than it was, but you know I'd criticise a Tanahashi or Okada for the same thing. I'd rather a more decisive finish as well, but they sure nailed the one they did go with. As far as bloodless wagers matches go this might be the best there's ever been.
Man, I'd forgotten how cool Aguila's mask was. He basically fell off my radar entirely years ago and I haven't seen him in forever. Didn't even know this was out there or that he'd lost the mask. But really, it's a cracker of a mask. This wasn't your granddaddy's apuestas but I thought it was an enjoyable version of one built mostly around dives rather than piss and blood and guts. All of Aguila's dives looked great, especially the corkscrew Asai moonsault, though I guess you'd have liked for Ultimo to take a lunatic bump into the seats and leave someone wearing their own dinner. The way he used UG's kickout to set up a submission was a really cool finish to the primera as well. Ultimo was a fun bruiser when he was on top, especially in the opening few minutes, then after that he was mostly about the bumping. There was one great moment towards the end where he finally managed to pull the plug on one of Aguila's dives and Aguila took a nutso hotshot bump across the top rope. Third caida had some decent drama, and even if it was mostly my turn-your turn they never dragged it out to eternity by lying around selling everything for six minutes at a time. Perfectly fun mask match and I'd like to check out some of the build up.
Negro Casas v Blue Panther (Hair v Hair) (CMLL, 3/2/12)
This also wasn't your granddaddy's apuestas. All four of the hair/mask matches I've watched over the last couple days have been approached in different ways. 2012 CMLL is not 1986 CMLL so this was never going to be Fiera/Babe Face. You were never going to get buckets of blood and guys biting chunks out each other's forehead. It didn't go the Ultimo/Aguila route either and we thank the old gods and the new because, you know, that was fun and all but you want a little more from two of the all-time GOATS. We sure got that and this was everything that was promised. I remember watching the lead-in trios and lightning match at the time and kind of being in awe at how much they were kicking the living shit out of each other. You don't typically associate lucha with stiffness and potato shots, but these two were working stiff as a bastard and being as vicious as possible. The first caida of this was basically the best possible five minute WAR midcard match and it was incredible. Casas headbutts Panther in the cheek three seconds in and it was one of the meanest headbutts I've ever seen. He was throwing kicks to the chest and stomps to the head like Kitahara working over a trainee. Then Panther nailed him with a Tenryu right hand and grabbed a flash Fujiwara armbar that the man himself would've been proud of. It was a wonderful little stretch of violence and suddenly you don't miss the disgusting bloodletting so much after all. Second fall was short as well, but you had Panther working over the shoulder and it was as gritty as you'd want. Casas reversing the surfboard into a stretch muffler is an absurdly great counter in isolation, but what made it even better is that it led to Panther selling the leg, which in turn gave Casas the set up for tying the match (a dropkick to the knee followed by the magistral). In between the segunda and tercera Casas continued to go after the leg and did it in super nasty fashion, like bending it at a hideous angle over a barricade and smashing it into the ramp. Casas' mocking of Panther to start the fall was unbelievable. They're both the same age, but Panther with his balding pate and slightly sagging physique actually looks like a man in his fifties, and that was before he was hobbling around on one leg (this was some phenomenal hobbling, btw). On the other hand, Casas practically looks the same as he did twenty years earlier. Maybe a little more grey on the sides, but to look at him you wouldn't have thought him a man of 52 years. He had two good legs and Panther only had one, so who gives a shit about humility? Then it went on and Casas seemed to come to the realisation that Panther may look like an old man but he sure doesn't fight like one. The tercera really was sensational. If you can't have a gorefest then something like this will do in a pinch because the violence never dropped, there was never a point where it didn't look like a struggle, and the attention to detail was astonishing. Hardly anybody works in and out of holds like this anymore. I'd need to watch it twice just to pick up on all of the amazing little micro details, but they were myriad and even if you're not into lucha I can't imagine you not getting something out of this. I think my favourite part was when Panther was on the apron and Casas grabbed a choke, and Panther lying on the floor afterwards staring at the ceiling was quite the visual. Panther then dragged Casas off the apron into a brutal armbar and followed up with a bullet tope that about put him head-first through the barricade. I guess my one complaint is that the limb damage they established in the first couple falls was dropped a bit suddenly. Panther's selling to start the tercera was tremendous, then not long after that it didn't seem to matter. There wasn't really a bridge between the leg being useless and it no longer being an issue. It doesn't bother me too much because it didn't need to be a bigger part of their story than it was, but you know I'd criticise a Tanahashi or Okada for the same thing. I'd rather a more decisive finish as well, but they sure nailed the one they did go with. As far as bloodless wagers matches go this might be the best there's ever been.
Friday, 21 December 2018
Blood, Hair and Masks (as we return to the 80s Lucha)
La Fiera v Babe Face (Hair v Hair) (EMLL, 8/15/86)
I was quite shocked at how little this was doing for me early on considering how good the lead-ins had been. It's not that it was bad because it certainly wasn't, but for whatever reason it wasn't totally clicking. Babe Face is a little bruiser and has a face you wouldn't tire of smacking, and it was pretty clear Fiera wasn't about to tire of it any time soon either. Fiera's spin kicks were landing on point and there was one to the back of the head that looked brutal. A guy like Babe Face though, he'll find a way back into the fight one way or another. I think when he started gaining a foothold was when I found myself really getting into this. I'm not sure if Fiera had a bad shoulder coming in or he hurt it during the match, but Babe goes after it and from there it starts to get pretty great. Fiera is a man who will take a ludicrous bump for our pleasure and he landed face-first on several of them here. The first one was a result of Babe just picking him up wheelbarrow style and throwing him through the ropes, then he almost crashed and burned on a tope, and maybe the nastiest of all was when he ate nothing but mat on a top rope splash. You'd think torpedoing the floor would probably be worse, but then you've never seen La Fiera headbutt a canvas from turnbuckle height. I loved the finish as well. Babe Face knew exactly what he was doing with that headbutt and if he thinks anybody's buying that it was a gut shot he's a fool. Question Fiera's morality if you like, but put a man's hair on the block and a shot to the balls will tip even the best of us over the edge.
El Hijo del Santo v Espanto Jr. (Mask v Mask) (Plaza de Toros Monumental, 8/31/86)
How about this for a stone cold classic? It started out a little differently from your other big mask matches of the era. You wouldn't exactly call it title match build because they weren't doing matwork as such, but other than a brief flurry of Santo offence Espanto utterly dominated this for almost two straight falls and he largely did it through wrestling. He was a man on a mission in that first caida especially, throwing Santo around the ring with some of the most violent snapmares there have ever been. Santo was so overwhelmed that he tried on several occasions to take a powder. Twice he managed it and I loved how Espanto came right out after him to throw him back in. There was no bullshit about it, he wasn't messing around taking any chances on the floor, his family's mask was on the line and he would best Santo in the ring. The other times Santo tried to leave he never even made it past the ropes, dogged as Espanto was. Santo kneeling on the floor after the primera as kids in their replica masks come to lend encouragement is a beautiful little moment and something that pretty well encapsulates lucha libre. Not that those kids made any immediate difference. Espanto couldn't care less and picked up right where he left off. Santo being the master of the comeback had the people on strings, and when he finally started connecting with those kneelifts the roof came off. His tope was obviously a corker, but Espanto's Fuerza bump could've been disastrous the way he landed on his knees with his ankles all twisted. It was an insane bump. By the midpoint of the tercera both guys are staggering around bloody, masks torn, running on fumes. Santo dragging Espanto across the ring by the eye sockets of his shredded mask is one of the best visuals I've seen in ages and he truly looked like a man who was at the end of his tether. The tape clearly didn't survive in somebody's garage all those years without any damage because we get a cut or two towards the end - including one where we miss a huge Santo dive, which really is the worst time for a tape jump - but you soon make peace when Santo about folds Espanto in half with the meanest camel clutch you ever did see. This really feels like one of the twenty best matches in wrestling history.
I was quite shocked at how little this was doing for me early on considering how good the lead-ins had been. It's not that it was bad because it certainly wasn't, but for whatever reason it wasn't totally clicking. Babe Face is a little bruiser and has a face you wouldn't tire of smacking, and it was pretty clear Fiera wasn't about to tire of it any time soon either. Fiera's spin kicks were landing on point and there was one to the back of the head that looked brutal. A guy like Babe Face though, he'll find a way back into the fight one way or another. I think when he started gaining a foothold was when I found myself really getting into this. I'm not sure if Fiera had a bad shoulder coming in or he hurt it during the match, but Babe goes after it and from there it starts to get pretty great. Fiera is a man who will take a ludicrous bump for our pleasure and he landed face-first on several of them here. The first one was a result of Babe just picking him up wheelbarrow style and throwing him through the ropes, then he almost crashed and burned on a tope, and maybe the nastiest of all was when he ate nothing but mat on a top rope splash. You'd think torpedoing the floor would probably be worse, but then you've never seen La Fiera headbutt a canvas from turnbuckle height. I loved the finish as well. Babe Face knew exactly what he was doing with that headbutt and if he thinks anybody's buying that it was a gut shot he's a fool. Question Fiera's morality if you like, but put a man's hair on the block and a shot to the balls will tip even the best of us over the edge.
El Hijo del Santo v Espanto Jr. (Mask v Mask) (Plaza de Toros Monumental, 8/31/86)
How about this for a stone cold classic? It started out a little differently from your other big mask matches of the era. You wouldn't exactly call it title match build because they weren't doing matwork as such, but other than a brief flurry of Santo offence Espanto utterly dominated this for almost two straight falls and he largely did it through wrestling. He was a man on a mission in that first caida especially, throwing Santo around the ring with some of the most violent snapmares there have ever been. Santo was so overwhelmed that he tried on several occasions to take a powder. Twice he managed it and I loved how Espanto came right out after him to throw him back in. There was no bullshit about it, he wasn't messing around taking any chances on the floor, his family's mask was on the line and he would best Santo in the ring. The other times Santo tried to leave he never even made it past the ropes, dogged as Espanto was. Santo kneeling on the floor after the primera as kids in their replica masks come to lend encouragement is a beautiful little moment and something that pretty well encapsulates lucha libre. Not that those kids made any immediate difference. Espanto couldn't care less and picked up right where he left off. Santo being the master of the comeback had the people on strings, and when he finally started connecting with those kneelifts the roof came off. His tope was obviously a corker, but Espanto's Fuerza bump could've been disastrous the way he landed on his knees with his ankles all twisted. It was an insane bump. By the midpoint of the tercera both guys are staggering around bloody, masks torn, running on fumes. Santo dragging Espanto across the ring by the eye sockets of his shredded mask is one of the best visuals I've seen in ages and he truly looked like a man who was at the end of his tether. The tape clearly didn't survive in somebody's garage all those years without any damage because we get a cut or two towards the end - including one where we miss a huge Santo dive, which really is the worst time for a tape jump - but you soon make peace when Santo about folds Espanto in half with the meanest camel clutch you ever did see. This really feels like one of the twenty best matches in wrestling history.
Thursday, 20 December 2018
Battlarts and Indie Sleaze!
Yuki Ishikawa v Carl Greco (Battlarts, 4/13/96)
I wonder where this match-up ranks in the pantheon of prominent Battlarts match-ups. Ishikawa/Ikeda is probably always going to be #1, but when was these two lacing into each other never not a treat? This had Greco at his squirmy best, just all over Ishikawa, constantly moving and transitioning. He controlled most of this when it was on the ground and Ishikawa was largely on the defensive. The problem for Greco was that Ishikawa never seemed to be in TOO much trouble. On the other hand, even if Ishikawa wasn't controlling the fight he was the one responsible for the most dangerous moments. There would be spells where he'd need to bide his time, but then he'd catch an opening and Greco would need to scramble for the ropes. I don't think Ishikawa needed to force a single rope break in the first two thirds while Greco needed several. Greco opting to drill Ishikawa in the face instead was quite the awesome wrinkle. He caught him with one upkick that dropped Ishikawa for an eight or nine and then you had the dynamic where maybe Greco didn't need to be winning the ground exchanges in order to win the fight. Finish is insane as he unloads with three kicks to the jaw that put Ishikawa out cold, then just to be sure he applies a brutal choke as Ishikawa's tongue turns purple. Either Ishikawa's bell got run legit or it was some of the best selling I've ever seen. Hell, it's Battlarts, maybe it was both.
Masashi Aoyagi & Gokuaku Umibozu v Shinichi Shino & Rikio Ito (WDF, 7/16/97)
This was exactly the kind of grimy, borderline-unprofessional scrap you expect out of Aoyagi and a few obscure indie scrubs in face paint. I'd never seen Ito or Shino before. I guess Ito is doing some third rate Power Warrior knock off while Shino has that voluminous Marty Jannetty mullet and dresses like Onita. Couldn't tell you if either of them are actually any good but Ito looks barely trained and watching him recklessly throw the other two around with powerbombs was sort of terrifying. They jump the karatekas at the start and within eleven seconds Aoyagi is cut open and leaving blood smears down the ring post. Umibozu plays a solid FIP so Aoyagi assumes the role of Tenryu in a karategi entering sporadically to kick guys in the spleen. Umibozu punches Shino in the privates a couple times and Aoyagi comes in off the hot tag crowbarring, then it all turns a bit sour as Umibozu whips out a pair of scissors or something and tries to stab Shino in the head. Naturally the match gets thrown out when Aoyagi hangs Ito to the ring post and kicks the shit out of him. Our referee gets repeatedly thrown around like an empty tracksuit for her troubles and I applaud her trying to maintain order for as long as she did. Of course this ruled, how the fuck couldn't it?
Tarzan Goto & Ryo Miyake v Masayoshi Motegi & Shinichi Nakano (WDF, 7/16/97)
This was even seedier, even nastier, even better. I mean think about that statement. The last match had someone getting attacked with scissors and lynched to a ring post. This didn't have anything quite as brazen, but it was far more primitive. All things considered you can work being stabbed in the head with a sharp object or being strangled pretty safely. It's smoke and mirrors. It's harder to work being drilled in the forehead or orbital bone with the edge of a chair and make it look good without hurting like a bastard. This had lots of edge-of-the-chair hits to the forehead and orbital bone that looked like they hurt like a bastard. It started out with an indie parity stand-off between Goto and Nakano and it might've been the best indie parity stand-off ever just because it's fucking Tarzan Goto doing indie parity stand-offs. Then the hellish beatdown started. They didn't go straight to the chairshots, Goto and Miyake wrestled mostly clean initially, but it was potatoey clean and Motegi was the recipient. He fired back and hit a couple dives to the floor, but he never should've let it go out there because you put Tarzan Goto anywhere near a chair he's hitting you with it. He hit Motegi with several, often with the edge of it, often dead in the forehead, sometimes in the throat. One shot took the padded seat off at the hinges so Goto just smashed him over the spine with the frame. This genuinely had some of the best working the cut stuff I've ever seen. Motegi bleeds a ton and Goto is covered in blood up to the elbow as he throws disgusting little rabbit punches to the cut, bites the forehead, etc. Miyake's decision to wear white pants on the night pays dividends as he drops knees across the forehead leaving blood stains on the material. Nakano comes in off the hot tag, but he has a bandage over his eye so before long Goto and Miyake are punching him in the eyebrow and jabbing him in the face with chair legs. At one point it looked like they were winding up for a double clothesline on Motegi but then they just double punched him in the forehead. If I had one complaint it'd be that there wasn't really much of a babyface comeback, but the match was clipped by a few minutes so I'm willing to give them the benefit of the doubt. What a night of indie sleaze perfection. Imagine this was the kind of thing Meltzer went gaga over? We'd have six hundred Tarzan Goto ripoffs running around with rabies rather than six hundred Tetsuya Naitos.
I wonder where this match-up ranks in the pantheon of prominent Battlarts match-ups. Ishikawa/Ikeda is probably always going to be #1, but when was these two lacing into each other never not a treat? This had Greco at his squirmy best, just all over Ishikawa, constantly moving and transitioning. He controlled most of this when it was on the ground and Ishikawa was largely on the defensive. The problem for Greco was that Ishikawa never seemed to be in TOO much trouble. On the other hand, even if Ishikawa wasn't controlling the fight he was the one responsible for the most dangerous moments. There would be spells where he'd need to bide his time, but then he'd catch an opening and Greco would need to scramble for the ropes. I don't think Ishikawa needed to force a single rope break in the first two thirds while Greco needed several. Greco opting to drill Ishikawa in the face instead was quite the awesome wrinkle. He caught him with one upkick that dropped Ishikawa for an eight or nine and then you had the dynamic where maybe Greco didn't need to be winning the ground exchanges in order to win the fight. Finish is insane as he unloads with three kicks to the jaw that put Ishikawa out cold, then just to be sure he applies a brutal choke as Ishikawa's tongue turns purple. Either Ishikawa's bell got run legit or it was some of the best selling I've ever seen. Hell, it's Battlarts, maybe it was both.
Masashi Aoyagi & Gokuaku Umibozu v Shinichi Shino & Rikio Ito (WDF, 7/16/97)
This was exactly the kind of grimy, borderline-unprofessional scrap you expect out of Aoyagi and a few obscure indie scrubs in face paint. I'd never seen Ito or Shino before. I guess Ito is doing some third rate Power Warrior knock off while Shino has that voluminous Marty Jannetty mullet and dresses like Onita. Couldn't tell you if either of them are actually any good but Ito looks barely trained and watching him recklessly throw the other two around with powerbombs was sort of terrifying. They jump the karatekas at the start and within eleven seconds Aoyagi is cut open and leaving blood smears down the ring post. Umibozu plays a solid FIP so Aoyagi assumes the role of Tenryu in a karategi entering sporadically to kick guys in the spleen. Umibozu punches Shino in the privates a couple times and Aoyagi comes in off the hot tag crowbarring, then it all turns a bit sour as Umibozu whips out a pair of scissors or something and tries to stab Shino in the head. Naturally the match gets thrown out when Aoyagi hangs Ito to the ring post and kicks the shit out of him. Our referee gets repeatedly thrown around like an empty tracksuit for her troubles and I applaud her trying to maintain order for as long as she did. Of course this ruled, how the fuck couldn't it?
Tarzan Goto & Ryo Miyake v Masayoshi Motegi & Shinichi Nakano (WDF, 7/16/97)
This was even seedier, even nastier, even better. I mean think about that statement. The last match had someone getting attacked with scissors and lynched to a ring post. This didn't have anything quite as brazen, but it was far more primitive. All things considered you can work being stabbed in the head with a sharp object or being strangled pretty safely. It's smoke and mirrors. It's harder to work being drilled in the forehead or orbital bone with the edge of a chair and make it look good without hurting like a bastard. This had lots of edge-of-the-chair hits to the forehead and orbital bone that looked like they hurt like a bastard. It started out with an indie parity stand-off between Goto and Nakano and it might've been the best indie parity stand-off ever just because it's fucking Tarzan Goto doing indie parity stand-offs. Then the hellish beatdown started. They didn't go straight to the chairshots, Goto and Miyake wrestled mostly clean initially, but it was potatoey clean and Motegi was the recipient. He fired back and hit a couple dives to the floor, but he never should've let it go out there because you put Tarzan Goto anywhere near a chair he's hitting you with it. He hit Motegi with several, often with the edge of it, often dead in the forehead, sometimes in the throat. One shot took the padded seat off at the hinges so Goto just smashed him over the spine with the frame. This genuinely had some of the best working the cut stuff I've ever seen. Motegi bleeds a ton and Goto is covered in blood up to the elbow as he throws disgusting little rabbit punches to the cut, bites the forehead, etc. Miyake's decision to wear white pants on the night pays dividends as he drops knees across the forehead leaving blood stains on the material. Nakano comes in off the hot tag, but he has a bandage over his eye so before long Goto and Miyake are punching him in the eyebrow and jabbing him in the face with chair legs. At one point it looked like they were winding up for a double clothesline on Motegi but then they just double punched him in the forehead. If I had one complaint it'd be that there wasn't really much of a babyface comeback, but the match was clipped by a few minutes so I'm willing to give them the benefit of the doubt. What a night of indie sleaze perfection. Imagine this was the kind of thing Meltzer went gaga over? We'd have six hundred Tarzan Goto ripoffs running around with rabies rather than six hundred Tetsuya Naitos.
Wednesday, 19 December 2018
The wonderful world of Japanese indies
Yoshiaki Fujiwara v Ishinriki (SWS, 12/12/91)
This was from a co-produced WWF/SWS event and it might be the most non-WWF match to ever take place on a card that WWF had anything to do with. It was more PWFG than even SWS and the Dome setting made for a cool atmosphere. What a fun, niggly little fight. I really have no clue how good Ishinriki is. He's an ex-sumo guy but way smaller than your other ex-sumo guys who turned to pro wrestling and to my knowledge I've never seen him in anything else. I'd need to see more to get a proper handle on him because this could've been a Fujiwara broomstick show for all I know. I mean, Fujiwara was spectacular. He was at his derisory best here, ruffling Ishinriki's hair on a corner break, giving him a mocking "well done, champ" pat as he would catch strikes, waiting until Ishinriki went to the top rope before walking away with a smirk on his face, just fucking with the guy as the crowd ate it up completely. Then Ishinriki would turn up the nastiness and you could see it getting to Fujiwara. The first headbutt he threw was an absolute peach and I don't think Ishinriki expected it, but it was Ishinriki who started it with a slap. You don't usually see Fujiwara throw kick combos and often when he does they're sort of condescending, but he about took Ishinriki's jaw off with a head kick and it was one of the all-time great Fujiwara spots. Ishinriki getting frustrated and throwing crowbar uppercuts, head stomps and liver kicks ruled. It annoyed Fujiwara in kind and as the match went on that attitude of his had a growing menace to it. I don't even know how he managed to apply that armbar the way he did but you can add it to the highlight reel of Fujiwara flash finishes. These guys had another match this year which is...well that's pretty random, right?
Yuki Ishikawa & Tamaoki Honma v Katsumi Usuda & Minoru Fujita (Battlarts, 3/5/98)
I had no idea Honma ever worked Battlarts. I wasn't sure how he'd fit coming from a deathmatch fed and all, but he took to the style pretty well and we knew already that he wasn't shy about hitting and being hit really fucking hard. Ishikawa was absolutely world class here, which shouldn't really be surprising but it's been a minute since I've watched him. His exchanges with Usuda were stellar and there was one moment where he countered a headbutt by punching Usuda dead in the nose. Everything he did on the mat looked great as well, just airtight and ferocious. Fujita is still a touch raw but I thought he was a really good underdog, everything was frantic and his scrambling and striking was rapid fast. Other than the goofy fighting spirit part midway through he was more or less on top form, and even the fighting spirit part was more delayed selling than outright no-selling, so lesser of two evils and whatnot.
Candy Okutsu v Mikiko Futagami (ARSION, 4/17/98)
Really neat sprint, not too big on the extended selling but super scrappy and you had something cool happening literally every thirty seconds. Initially I figured they were going for a full on bombfest, but they pretty quickly developed a story of Futagami trying to take Candy's arm home with her. She was reversing all sorts of shit with all sorts of shit and constantly found ways to grab that arm, whether it be in kimuras, armbars, key locks, anything that was there to be grabbed she grabbed. Not all of it was completely smooth, but for the most part that scrappiness prevented it from coming off as an exhibition. Candy is always really fun and everything she did was at hyper speed, the parts where she'd sprint up turnbuckles, reel off several German suplexes in a row, everything with a real sense of desperation to it. In maybe the coolest spot of the match she bolted up to the top rope and hit a cross body to the outside, but as she landed Futagami somehow managed to transition straight into a cross armbreaker. Futagami's striking added another layer as well and she really came off like a pitbull. Some of those palm strikes were Liger-esque. I had to double check to see if there wasn't a clip job in here somewhere because no way did this feel like thirteen minutes. I guess if that's not the sign of a good sprint I don't know what is.
Candy Okutsu v Yumi Fukawa (ARSION, 5/5/98)
Pretty awesome little lucharesu/shoot style hybrid. For about fourteen of these seventeen minutes this kind of felt like an amalgamation of M-Pro and Battlarts. That's a fairly absurd amount of praise coming from someone who loves both of those promotions to death, but that was the vibe I was getting so fair fucks to them for pulling it off. They started out with a burst of rope-running and a fake out dive, then settled into a more mat-based contest with the lucha aspect in the background. Fukawa is a pocket rocket of a wrestler and I always dig her working the mat, but the eye-opener here was Candy. This might be the best I've seen her look working holds and that even includes her bouts with Yoshida. I don't know how Fukawa didn't end up paralyzed during this because she landed square on the top of her head off a whiffed Lionsault...and then she tried to just re-do the spot straight after and landed square on the top of her head AGAIN. It's hard to knock her and I thought Candy did okay covering for it, but it did take a wee bit of steam out of the last few minutes. Still, the fact she was even able to finish the match was impressive in itself and a few dodgy transitions towards the end wasn't the worst thing in the world. I liked this a ton.
This was from a co-produced WWF/SWS event and it might be the most non-WWF match to ever take place on a card that WWF had anything to do with. It was more PWFG than even SWS and the Dome setting made for a cool atmosphere. What a fun, niggly little fight. I really have no clue how good Ishinriki is. He's an ex-sumo guy but way smaller than your other ex-sumo guys who turned to pro wrestling and to my knowledge I've never seen him in anything else. I'd need to see more to get a proper handle on him because this could've been a Fujiwara broomstick show for all I know. I mean, Fujiwara was spectacular. He was at his derisory best here, ruffling Ishinriki's hair on a corner break, giving him a mocking "well done, champ" pat as he would catch strikes, waiting until Ishinriki went to the top rope before walking away with a smirk on his face, just fucking with the guy as the crowd ate it up completely. Then Ishinriki would turn up the nastiness and you could see it getting to Fujiwara. The first headbutt he threw was an absolute peach and I don't think Ishinriki expected it, but it was Ishinriki who started it with a slap. You don't usually see Fujiwara throw kick combos and often when he does they're sort of condescending, but he about took Ishinriki's jaw off with a head kick and it was one of the all-time great Fujiwara spots. Ishinriki getting frustrated and throwing crowbar uppercuts, head stomps and liver kicks ruled. It annoyed Fujiwara in kind and as the match went on that attitude of his had a growing menace to it. I don't even know how he managed to apply that armbar the way he did but you can add it to the highlight reel of Fujiwara flash finishes. These guys had another match this year which is...well that's pretty random, right?
Yuki Ishikawa & Tamaoki Honma v Katsumi Usuda & Minoru Fujita (Battlarts, 3/5/98)
I had no idea Honma ever worked Battlarts. I wasn't sure how he'd fit coming from a deathmatch fed and all, but he took to the style pretty well and we knew already that he wasn't shy about hitting and being hit really fucking hard. Ishikawa was absolutely world class here, which shouldn't really be surprising but it's been a minute since I've watched him. His exchanges with Usuda were stellar and there was one moment where he countered a headbutt by punching Usuda dead in the nose. Everything he did on the mat looked great as well, just airtight and ferocious. Fujita is still a touch raw but I thought he was a really good underdog, everything was frantic and his scrambling and striking was rapid fast. Other than the goofy fighting spirit part midway through he was more or less on top form, and even the fighting spirit part was more delayed selling than outright no-selling, so lesser of two evils and whatnot.
Candy Okutsu v Mikiko Futagami (ARSION, 4/17/98)
Really neat sprint, not too big on the extended selling but super scrappy and you had something cool happening literally every thirty seconds. Initially I figured they were going for a full on bombfest, but they pretty quickly developed a story of Futagami trying to take Candy's arm home with her. She was reversing all sorts of shit with all sorts of shit and constantly found ways to grab that arm, whether it be in kimuras, armbars, key locks, anything that was there to be grabbed she grabbed. Not all of it was completely smooth, but for the most part that scrappiness prevented it from coming off as an exhibition. Candy is always really fun and everything she did was at hyper speed, the parts where she'd sprint up turnbuckles, reel off several German suplexes in a row, everything with a real sense of desperation to it. In maybe the coolest spot of the match she bolted up to the top rope and hit a cross body to the outside, but as she landed Futagami somehow managed to transition straight into a cross armbreaker. Futagami's striking added another layer as well and she really came off like a pitbull. Some of those palm strikes were Liger-esque. I had to double check to see if there wasn't a clip job in here somewhere because no way did this feel like thirteen minutes. I guess if that's not the sign of a good sprint I don't know what is.
Candy Okutsu v Yumi Fukawa (ARSION, 5/5/98)
Pretty awesome little lucharesu/shoot style hybrid. For about fourteen of these seventeen minutes this kind of felt like an amalgamation of M-Pro and Battlarts. That's a fairly absurd amount of praise coming from someone who loves both of those promotions to death, but that was the vibe I was getting so fair fucks to them for pulling it off. They started out with a burst of rope-running and a fake out dive, then settled into a more mat-based contest with the lucha aspect in the background. Fukawa is a pocket rocket of a wrestler and I always dig her working the mat, but the eye-opener here was Candy. This might be the best I've seen her look working holds and that even includes her bouts with Yoshida. I don't know how Fukawa didn't end up paralyzed during this because she landed square on the top of her head off a whiffed Lionsault...and then she tried to just re-do the spot straight after and landed square on the top of her head AGAIN. It's hard to knock her and I thought Candy did okay covering for it, but it did take a wee bit of steam out of the last few minutes. Still, the fact she was even able to finish the match was impressive in itself and a few dodgy transitions towards the end wasn't the worst thing in the world. I liked this a ton.
Tuesday, 18 December 2018
WWE TLC Cherry-Pickin'
Two months on the spin I've watched a WWE PPV. Well, I say "watched" but I only fully paid attention to three matches, while the rest was on as either background noise or skipped entirely. I should probably watch Rey/Orton because from what I caught it did seem real fun. Meanwhile you could not pay me enough to sit through a Rollins/Ambrose match at this point in life.
Ronda Rousey v Nia Jax
Well Rousey continues to be absolute money and this was totally great, maybe not quite at the level of their first match but pretty damn close. This already feels like a great pairing, they just mesh super well together. I liked the beginning with Rousey popping and moving, getting about as cocky as we've seen in her short career so far. Then Nia inevitably catches her and starts the clubbering. There were a few amazing spots in this, the best ones coming from Ronda climbing all over Nia like some ridiculous CrossFit Games event. The front choke into the suplex was a really impressive bit of strength from Nia to begin with, but holy shit was that transition into the rear naked choke spectacular. That truly looked like Nia just tried to dump Rousey behind her and somehow Ronda managed to contort herself into whatever the fuck position was required to navigate the obstacle that was Nia's frame. At another point Ronda hit a great looking step up knee that was practically a Shining Wizard to a standing opponent, then as Nia was staggered Ronda used Nia's thigh to propel herself into what was almost a delayed superman punch. Also loved Ronda taking to the top turnbuckle. She went up there against Charlotte and kind of sold it like it might be a terrible idea, and when she did it here it was like she was talking herself into it as she climbed. She never climbed no turnbuckles in an Octagon. And her big cross body to the floor looked killer. Nia gets a lot of shit from a lot of people. I really haven't paid much attention to her the entire time she's been on TV, but she was the perfect foil for Ronda in both of their matches. The sit-out powerbomb to counter the armbar initially was cool, and maybe I'm just projecting but it felt like she sold the ever-present threat of it all the way through, like she knew from experience that Ronda could grab it from anywhere so it was important not to overextend. Finish was badass on a hundred levels. Rousey's shit talking is top tier anyway, but kissing Nia's fist before leaning into the armbwas was incredible. On top of that I love how she manoeuvered Nia's body after the takedown, not only to keep her away from the ropes but to make sure she could look Tamina in the eyes while she did it. That girl stuck her nose in once already and she'll think twice before doing it again. I guess if I had one complain it'd be that I wanted them to make more of the arm after the ring post spot, but part of that is because Rousey has become such a ridiculously fun saleswoman that you almost expect it now. That's pretty wild for someone who's been doing pro wrestling for all of nine months.
Daniel Bryan v AJ Styles
Man, this might be my favourite Bryan Danielson/Daniel Bryan iteration of his entire career. He's basically doing the CM Punk straightedge stuff, except rather than condescend to people who drink Jameson or partake in the green he's going at folk who eat meat and don't recycle their empty Marmite jars. He's also working surly as a bastard again and the notion that this is more mid-2000s ROH than late-2010s WWE feels pretty accurate. Knowing his attention to detail I wouldn't be surprised if he starts subtly doing the "I have til five!" bit like he did in this and then after a few months he's doing it full 2006 ROH style. All of his work around AJ's ribs looked great, just really snug and painful looking, like the knees before the bow and arrow, the kicks, the body shots. Then he'd throw in a bunch of other nasty looking shit like yanking on AJ's nose and the awesome knees in the cravate, followed by the equally awesome cravate suplex. The way it sort of morphed into a match that was built around dueling body part work felt organic and remained a theme all the way through. We even got a plausible nearfall off a half crab which hasn't been a thing for like fifteen years. I totally bought Bryan tapping in the calf crusher as well. What was most impressive to me is that they managed to build this drama without ever resorting to your modern WWE main event fare. They didn't trade a bunch of finishers, they never went overboard with the 2.999 counts, the things they did leading to the finishing run weren't forgotten about as if a switch was flipped and it was time to go home. The match ending on a small package leaves plenty on the table if they want to return to this as well (and I'm guessing they'll want to return to it). I liked this less than Bryan/Lesnar and Rousey/Charlotte from Survivor Series, but it was pretty excellent and I'm all in on Bryan having a lengthy run with the belt.
Becky Lynch v Charlotte Flair v Asuka (TLC Match)
And this was pretty shit hot as well. I have no idea where it falls in a list of your best TLC matches, but if there's one thing this has over a shit load of the others it's that I truly bought the violence the wrestlers were trying to sell me. It had plunder and they took their time setting up some elaborate spots, but in amongst it all they never let you forget that ultimately these three women did not care a lick for one another. When was the last time anybody made a dumb kendo stick look like a proper weapon? Because these three have been smashing folk to bits with kendo sticks lately and this had some of the most brutal whippings yet. I really didn't watch much of Charlotte during her babyface run this year, though I know people seemed to be mostly cold on it. If that heel turn at Survivor Series promised a return to form then she's absolutely lived up to it because she was outstanding in this. Stuff like that "every man bows down to a QUEEN" bit would ordinarily feel super corny, but for whatever reason it totally worked in this, maybe because as soon as she said it she just slapped Becky clean across the face really hard. Her big somersault through the table looked great as well. It wasn't graceful, especially not compared to her moonsault that she always gets perfect rotation on, it looked more heavy, like she wanted to land with as much mass and inflict as much damage as possible. It also made for a great payback spot because that Becky legdrop off the ladder was fucking lunacy and about collapsed Charlotte's lungs. Her verbal sell of it ruled but then I'm not sure how much of that was selling. Then we got the spear through the barricade, which is a tired spot in WWE at this point, but this one looked as good as any Roman Reigns car wreck. She took off like a track athlete and absolutely crushed Asuka. They also went above and beyond during the parts where they were feebly reaching for the belt. Those moments always come off pretty hokey because, like, just climb another rung and reach up there, you know? But all three of them were desperate in throwing shots at the top of the ladder, sometimes just slapping each other about the shoulder or ear, knocking their arms out the way when someone tried to grab the belt. The finish works for me as well because Rousey's been saying for weeks that she has receipts, and considering how nearly every other babyface in the company consistently looks like a doofus it's cool to see one actually get something done for a change. It sets up plenty of options for where they could go next and they now have four women on the roster who are red hot with a ton of momentum at the right time.
Ronda Rousey v Nia Jax
Well Rousey continues to be absolute money and this was totally great, maybe not quite at the level of their first match but pretty damn close. This already feels like a great pairing, they just mesh super well together. I liked the beginning with Rousey popping and moving, getting about as cocky as we've seen in her short career so far. Then Nia inevitably catches her and starts the clubbering. There were a few amazing spots in this, the best ones coming from Ronda climbing all over Nia like some ridiculous CrossFit Games event. The front choke into the suplex was a really impressive bit of strength from Nia to begin with, but holy shit was that transition into the rear naked choke spectacular. That truly looked like Nia just tried to dump Rousey behind her and somehow Ronda managed to contort herself into whatever the fuck position was required to navigate the obstacle that was Nia's frame. At another point Ronda hit a great looking step up knee that was practically a Shining Wizard to a standing opponent, then as Nia was staggered Ronda used Nia's thigh to propel herself into what was almost a delayed superman punch. Also loved Ronda taking to the top turnbuckle. She went up there against Charlotte and kind of sold it like it might be a terrible idea, and when she did it here it was like she was talking herself into it as she climbed. She never climbed no turnbuckles in an Octagon. And her big cross body to the floor looked killer. Nia gets a lot of shit from a lot of people. I really haven't paid much attention to her the entire time she's been on TV, but she was the perfect foil for Ronda in both of their matches. The sit-out powerbomb to counter the armbar initially was cool, and maybe I'm just projecting but it felt like she sold the ever-present threat of it all the way through, like she knew from experience that Ronda could grab it from anywhere so it was important not to overextend. Finish was badass on a hundred levels. Rousey's shit talking is top tier anyway, but kissing Nia's fist before leaning into the armbwas was incredible. On top of that I love how she manoeuvered Nia's body after the takedown, not only to keep her away from the ropes but to make sure she could look Tamina in the eyes while she did it. That girl stuck her nose in once already and she'll think twice before doing it again. I guess if I had one complain it'd be that I wanted them to make more of the arm after the ring post spot, but part of that is because Rousey has become such a ridiculously fun saleswoman that you almost expect it now. That's pretty wild for someone who's been doing pro wrestling for all of nine months.
Daniel Bryan v AJ Styles
Man, this might be my favourite Bryan Danielson/Daniel Bryan iteration of his entire career. He's basically doing the CM Punk straightedge stuff, except rather than condescend to people who drink Jameson or partake in the green he's going at folk who eat meat and don't recycle their empty Marmite jars. He's also working surly as a bastard again and the notion that this is more mid-2000s ROH than late-2010s WWE feels pretty accurate. Knowing his attention to detail I wouldn't be surprised if he starts subtly doing the "I have til five!" bit like he did in this and then after a few months he's doing it full 2006 ROH style. All of his work around AJ's ribs looked great, just really snug and painful looking, like the knees before the bow and arrow, the kicks, the body shots. Then he'd throw in a bunch of other nasty looking shit like yanking on AJ's nose and the awesome knees in the cravate, followed by the equally awesome cravate suplex. The way it sort of morphed into a match that was built around dueling body part work felt organic and remained a theme all the way through. We even got a plausible nearfall off a half crab which hasn't been a thing for like fifteen years. I totally bought Bryan tapping in the calf crusher as well. What was most impressive to me is that they managed to build this drama without ever resorting to your modern WWE main event fare. They didn't trade a bunch of finishers, they never went overboard with the 2.999 counts, the things they did leading to the finishing run weren't forgotten about as if a switch was flipped and it was time to go home. The match ending on a small package leaves plenty on the table if they want to return to this as well (and I'm guessing they'll want to return to it). I liked this less than Bryan/Lesnar and Rousey/Charlotte from Survivor Series, but it was pretty excellent and I'm all in on Bryan having a lengthy run with the belt.
Becky Lynch v Charlotte Flair v Asuka (TLC Match)
And this was pretty shit hot as well. I have no idea where it falls in a list of your best TLC matches, but if there's one thing this has over a shit load of the others it's that I truly bought the violence the wrestlers were trying to sell me. It had plunder and they took their time setting up some elaborate spots, but in amongst it all they never let you forget that ultimately these three women did not care a lick for one another. When was the last time anybody made a dumb kendo stick look like a proper weapon? Because these three have been smashing folk to bits with kendo sticks lately and this had some of the most brutal whippings yet. I really didn't watch much of Charlotte during her babyface run this year, though I know people seemed to be mostly cold on it. If that heel turn at Survivor Series promised a return to form then she's absolutely lived up to it because she was outstanding in this. Stuff like that "every man bows down to a QUEEN" bit would ordinarily feel super corny, but for whatever reason it totally worked in this, maybe because as soon as she said it she just slapped Becky clean across the face really hard. Her big somersault through the table looked great as well. It wasn't graceful, especially not compared to her moonsault that she always gets perfect rotation on, it looked more heavy, like she wanted to land with as much mass and inflict as much damage as possible. It also made for a great payback spot because that Becky legdrop off the ladder was fucking lunacy and about collapsed Charlotte's lungs. Her verbal sell of it ruled but then I'm not sure how much of that was selling. Then we got the spear through the barricade, which is a tired spot in WWE at this point, but this one looked as good as any Roman Reigns car wreck. She took off like a track athlete and absolutely crushed Asuka. They also went above and beyond during the parts where they were feebly reaching for the belt. Those moments always come off pretty hokey because, like, just climb another rung and reach up there, you know? But all three of them were desperate in throwing shots at the top of the ladder, sometimes just slapping each other about the shoulder or ear, knocking their arms out the way when someone tried to grab the belt. The finish works for me as well because Rousey's been saying for weeks that she has receipts, and considering how nearly every other babyface in the company consistently looks like a doofus it's cool to see one actually get something done for a change. It sets up plenty of options for where they could go next and they now have four women on the roster who are red hot with a ton of momentum at the right time.
Sunday, 16 December 2018
NWA Classics 24/7 #22
Ted DiBiase v Hacksaw Duggan (Loser Leaves Town Cage Match) (Houston Wrestling, 8/26/83)
This was probably never going to be messing with the '85 stips match, but it's these two in a cage so obviously it was twelve minutes of badass. There was almost a running gag as folk were watching the original Mid-South set about the ring ropes in Houston constantly falling to bits. It happened in a bunch of matches. Maybe it was deliberate, like it was Boesch's way of throwing a curve ball and seeing how they'd persevere. Build character through adversity and whatnot. I don't recall it ever actively derailing a match and I imagine this would've been good had the ropes stayed in place, but somehow the turnbuckle flying apart seemed to make it even better. It happens only a couple minutes in, and as soon as it does Duggan just picks it up and tries to strangle DiBiase with this stray ring rope. Ted has already decided he's had enough of this and tries to roll away, but of course he only gets so far before the cage stops him. His "oh shit what have I done?" reaction as Duggan stands over him with a turnbuckle bolt is incredible. The rope and bolt then become a permanent fixture for the rest of the match. DiBiase uses it to cut Duggan open first and there's an amazing bit where he practically stabs him clean in the face with it. Duggan's comeback is total Hacksaw which means it's all-time level great. Seriously, who has a better walking tall babyface comeback than Duggan? The foot-stomping, the punches, the wild mane, it never fails. The big payback shots with the bolt obviously ruled, too. Ted loading the glove and punching Duggan in the gut was an awesome spot just for Duggan selling it like he'd been shot, but then they started running the two remaining ring ropes and it ended up with Duggan holding the equalizer. This is one of the best match-ups in US wrestling history, right?
This was probably never going to be messing with the '85 stips match, but it's these two in a cage so obviously it was twelve minutes of badass. There was almost a running gag as folk were watching the original Mid-South set about the ring ropes in Houston constantly falling to bits. It happened in a bunch of matches. Maybe it was deliberate, like it was Boesch's way of throwing a curve ball and seeing how they'd persevere. Build character through adversity and whatnot. I don't recall it ever actively derailing a match and I imagine this would've been good had the ropes stayed in place, but somehow the turnbuckle flying apart seemed to make it even better. It happens only a couple minutes in, and as soon as it does Duggan just picks it up and tries to strangle DiBiase with this stray ring rope. Ted has already decided he's had enough of this and tries to roll away, but of course he only gets so far before the cage stops him. His "oh shit what have I done?" reaction as Duggan stands over him with a turnbuckle bolt is incredible. The rope and bolt then become a permanent fixture for the rest of the match. DiBiase uses it to cut Duggan open first and there's an amazing bit where he practically stabs him clean in the face with it. Duggan's comeback is total Hacksaw which means it's all-time level great. Seriously, who has a better walking tall babyface comeback than Duggan? The foot-stomping, the punches, the wild mane, it never fails. The big payback shots with the bolt obviously ruled, too. Ted loading the glove and punching Duggan in the gut was an awesome spot just for Duggan selling it like he'd been shot, but then they started running the two remaining ring ropes and it ended up with Duggan holding the equalizer. This is one of the best match-ups in US wrestling history, right?
Saturday, 15 December 2018
NWA Classics 24/7 #21
Remember NWA Classics 24/7, later renamed NWA On Demand, later gone up in smoke and sold to whoever when WWE came calling? I remember. That particular streaming service is no longer with us, but if you know where to look (that super secret streaming site with all the videos on it that nobody's ever heard of) most of it still seems to be floating around. So it's back to Houston we go!
Ric Flair v Wahoo McDaniel (Houston Wrestling, 7/12/85)
This was the date on the match that made the DVDVR Mid-South set, but apparently that one was actually from 7/26 and the one from On Demand is the proper 7/12 match. So if you were ever wondering, there you go. I'm on as close to a Flair kick right now as I've been in about a decade and that Horsemen footage put me in the mood to rewatch some of what he was doing outside Crockett. This was pretty great when they were lacing into each other. The arena isn't mic'd up too well so you don't always get to hear the thwack on strikes, but some of these Wahoo chops are audible regardless. Flair has great chops, he always has, but he can't swing that knife edge like Wahoo and he's never had anything close to the overhand, so for once he's basically outmatched. And that was kind of the story. Flair will try and go toe to toe, but not only does it never end well for him, it never even approaches level footing. He'll throw one chop, maybe two at a push, and Wahoo will shred him. Flair simply can't hang. So I guess he decides he'll use the ropes at every opportunity and just cheat his way to victory. Maybe it was deliberate on the wrestlers' part, maybe it was a story they were actively telling, maybe I'm just projecting, but Flair's best friend in this match was the ring rope and if not for that he'd have been fucked. He wasn't only using it to cheat either. There were a few points where Wahoo dropped him with a chop or a tomahawk and Flair only escaped by draping a foot over the rope. Late on he tried to take it to the floor, but that backfired as well and it was him who wound up with a bloody forehead. Still, the ropes weren't going anywhere and they were always there to bail him out. Flair winning via dodgy pinfall with his feet on the ropes wasn't exactly a rarity, but I don't remember it ever being built to quite like that. Maybe that "build" was coincidental. It probably was, honestly. Either way it worked and overall this was good stuff.
Ric Flair v Wahoo McDaniel (Houston Wrestling, 7/12/85)
This was the date on the match that made the DVDVR Mid-South set, but apparently that one was actually from 7/26 and the one from On Demand is the proper 7/12 match. So if you were ever wondering, there you go. I'm on as close to a Flair kick right now as I've been in about a decade and that Horsemen footage put me in the mood to rewatch some of what he was doing outside Crockett. This was pretty great when they were lacing into each other. The arena isn't mic'd up too well so you don't always get to hear the thwack on strikes, but some of these Wahoo chops are audible regardless. Flair has great chops, he always has, but he can't swing that knife edge like Wahoo and he's never had anything close to the overhand, so for once he's basically outmatched. And that was kind of the story. Flair will try and go toe to toe, but not only does it never end well for him, it never even approaches level footing. He'll throw one chop, maybe two at a push, and Wahoo will shred him. Flair simply can't hang. So I guess he decides he'll use the ropes at every opportunity and just cheat his way to victory. Maybe it was deliberate on the wrestlers' part, maybe it was a story they were actively telling, maybe I'm just projecting, but Flair's best friend in this match was the ring rope and if not for that he'd have been fucked. He wasn't only using it to cheat either. There were a few points where Wahoo dropped him with a chop or a tomahawk and Flair only escaped by draping a foot over the rope. Late on he tried to take it to the floor, but that backfired as well and it was him who wound up with a bloody forehead. Still, the ropes weren't going anywhere and they were always there to bail him out. Flair winning via dodgy pinfall with his feet on the ropes wasn't exactly a rarity, but I don't remember it ever being built to quite like that. Maybe that "build" was coincidental. It probably was, honestly. Either way it worked and overall this was good stuff.
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